1. Should executives leave the management of IT to the IT managers? Why or why not? List and briefly discuss 6 areas of decision that business executives should not leave to IT managers.
2. What is the Information Systems Strategic Triangle? Draw it and briefly define its 3 components. Historically, how has failure to understand the triangle resulted in many failed IT projects?
3. Briefly draw and in a few sentences describe the components of a supply chain. How does IT help the supply chain?
4. Briefly describe Porter's 3 generic competitive strategies. Give an example of each.
5. Draw and briefly describe in a few sentences each of the components of the Barriers to entry model or five forces model. What is the purpose of this model?
6. List and briefly define hypercompetition and each of the 7 S's in D'Aveni's 7 S's Framework model. What are two of D'Aveni's key assumptions?
7. Briefly explain the DYB strategy used by Jack Welch at GE.
8. What is the Halo effect? What are 3 misconceptions the Halo effect often produces?
9. List and briefly describe 9 of the firm's IT related resources that need to managed by executive and IT managers.
10. What are two of the biggest advantages of a well managed supply chain?
11. What are five general trends in the nature of work related to impacts IT has had on Organizational Design?
12. In a few sentences each describe hierarchical, functional, flat, networked and matrix organizational management structures. Which of these do you see most often in management of current American business?
13. What is a strategic business alliance? How can supply chain management relate to a strategic business alliance? Give an example of a strategic alliance. How do strategic alliances relate to the Japanese keiretsu concept?
14. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, how does the IS job market look from now to 2020? What additional demographic factor should be considered as we look at this?
15. Explain how marketing is different today than it was 25 years ago. How has the power relationship between customers and business changed?
16. Briefly explain the productivity paradox as it relates to IT. Why is it hard to clearly define IT's contribution to productivity?
17. What are the 3 advantages and 3 disadvantages of telecommuting/and the virtual organization from the perspective of the business? From the perspective of the employee?
18. Give 2 main reasons modern IT professionals need to be able to be able to work well with others on teams.
19. Briefly describe the internet of everything. How is this going to change the world?
20. List and briefly explain at least 5 technologies used to facilitate business communication.
21. What is an IT architecure? List and explain 3 advantages a company gets from having architecture.
22. Briefly define the term IT infrastructure. Where do infrastructure requirements come from? What are two of the big challenges in implementing an infrastructure?
23. What is the unlimited resources model? What is happening to American business that seems to support it?
24. Why are there less middle managers today than there were 20 years ago?
25. Define centralized, decentralized and federal IT management structures and list 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of each.
26. Briefly describe (3 or 4 sentences each) TQM, BPR, ERP and Six Sigma.
27. Briefly explain what is meant by a Blue Ocean business Strategy and list its benefits. Does the first company into a market win those benefits?
28. What is an extended supply chain? Name a company that does exceptionally well with its supply chain. How does IT help the extended supply chain?
29. What is a VPN and why is a VPN important to telework?
30. List and briefly describe the 5 eras of IT. Include the era, description and key technology.