Discussion: Too Big to Fail?

Is any company too big to fall? In the last 5 years we have seen businesses that had been established for over 50 years suddenly hit financial crises, and banks were at the top of the list. According to the FDIC, more than 300 banks have failed since 2009.

The US Government stepped in and created a program called TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) to purchase assets and equity from the failing financial sector to stabilize our economy.

Using research and your own opinions that you derive from your understanding of the concepts in this course and in this unit, research a public company that has filed bankruptcy (or reorganization), merged or been acquired by another company in the last five years.

Respond to the following questions:

1. Give the name of the company and write a short description of its business.

2. What was the stock price in the years preceding its failure, merger or acquisition? What was the stock price after, if it still existed? (You may find this information on Yahoo Finance.com)

3. Summarize what led to this company's downfall: What are the differences between this company and another company (that is thriving) in the same industry?

4. If the company still exists in some aspect, what is the current condition of it? Do you believe that it would be a good investment? You may use the required rate of return as determined by the CAPM to support your position.

Information system projects range from very small, end-user development projects, to major implementations of enterprise systems. Regardless of size, they all have some common characteristics.

First, they require the effective use of project management tools and technologies that help keep the project on time, within budget, and meet objectives. The success rate for implementing a new information system is not good. This very poor success rate is due to a lack of proper project management.

Every project includes the same five variables that must be properly managed:

• Scope: what work is or is not included in a project.
• Time: establish timeframes for each component of a project.
• Cost: the amount of time multiplied by the cost of human resources required of a project.
• Quality: does the project improve organizational performance and decision making?
• Risk: potential problems that may threaten the project's success.

After reading the Managing Projects chapter in your text, respond to the following points and questions:

1. How much does project management impact the success of a new information system?

2. In your opinion, why do builders of new information systems need to address implementation and change management?

3. Why is it important to consider the end users in a new systems project?

4. It has been said that most information systems fail because system builders ignore organizational behavior problems. Why is this true?

5. Assume you are a project manager in a company that operates in many countries. What factors would you consider in order to effectively manage an information-systems project in a global setting as opposed to a project located only here in the USA? (You may want to read the Summary in this unit before you formulate your response.)

6. When you reply to your classmates, compare and contrast their findings and decisions with yours, paying particular attention to #4 and #5.