| Learning objectives |
To achieve the grade 12, students
should meet the following learning objectives with no or only minor
mistakes or errors: After the course, students should be able to:
- 1) Identify and characterize IT management challenges and
opportunities.
- 2) Describe and apply IT management tools and methods presented
in the course literature.
- 3) Analyze IT management problems of real world and argue
different solutions how to address them.
- 4) Reflect on the limitations of tools and methods in the
course literature.
|
| Course prerequisites |
| A fundamental understanding about IT
and IT use in organizations is necessary and Strategic and Tactital
tools course. |
| Prerequisites for registering for the
exam |
|
Number of mandatory
activities: 3
Compulsory assignments
(assessed approved/not approved)
In order to be able to take the exam, the students have to pass
the mandatory assignment of writing (task 1) and presenting (task
2) a report of IT management challenges in a real world company.
This report, which is made in groups of two to four individuals,
should describe and analyze IT management challenges (within the
same company) based on the course literature. The report is handed
in and presented at the last scheduled teaching activity.
The students also have to upload short answers to case questions
before the course sessions. Students have to upload answers to at
least 7 of 10 cases (task 3).
|
| Examination |
|
Take home
exam: Written case analysis:
|
| Exam ECTS |
7,5 |
| Examination form |
Home assignment - written product |
| Individual or group exam |
Individual |
|
The examination assignment will consist of a
written case analysis in the form of a 72-hour 'take home
exam'. The students will get a case and have to perform an
individual analysis of the case. |
| Size of written product |
Max. 15 pages |
| Assignment type |
Case based assignment |
| Duration |
72 hours to prepare |
| Grading scale |
7-step scale |
| Examiner(s) |
Internal examiner and second internal
examiner |
| Exam period |
Winter and Winter |
| Make-up exam/re-exam |
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
The same mandatory report can be
used, but the individual case analysis will be of a different
case.
|
Description of the exam
procedure
The students are handed a written case to analyze based on the
course litterature. The case and the task will be presented at CBS
and published online for students who cannot physically
attend.
|
|
| Course content and
structure |
|
The course aims is to train the students in coping with the
challenges and opportunities confronting a Chief Information
Officer (CIO) in a modern business organization. Students will get
the case background for a large number of realistic problem issues,
and will be provided with different tools/methods potentially
relevant for addressing the issues.
This course uses the IVK Case Series (see literature list) to
examine important issues in IT management through the eyes of Jim
Barton, a talented business (i.e., non-technical) manager who is
thrust into the Chief Information Officer (CIO) role at a troubled
financial services firm. The course follows Barton through
challenges, mistakes, travails, and triumphs. We take this journey
with him, commenting on and debating his choices and decisions.
During his first year as CIO, Barton confronts issues related to
skill and talent management; IT costs, budgets, value, and
chargeback systems; priority setting and financial justification of
IT investments; project management; runaway projects and
underperforming vendors; security risks and crises; Web 2.0
policies; communications with other senior executives; vendor
management; infrastructure standardization; support for innovation;
and risk management. As Barton encounters these issues, we address
them too, through associated readings. As we examine and critique
both research and conventional management wisdom on these topics,
we’ll derive a framework for managing IT as a business leader.
The course is based on case based-pedagogy, according to the
Harvard method in combination with (rare) lectures, guest
presentations, workshops and project work in groups.
Students will have to prepare for case discussion/lectures by
reading the IVK chapter as well as other cases to be discussed on
that day. Self study and class discussion should help the students
to advance identification and characterization of IT management
challenges and opportunities, description of tools and methods, and
argumentation for relevance and solutions.
In the exercises,
students will have to work in groups with analyzing IT management
problems and applying the tools and methods in the course
literature. This will also help the students reflect on the
limitations of the tools and methods.
|
| Teaching methods |
Most of the course is organized as
cased-based discussions where students and instructor in common
analyze a given case to abstract strategies to deal with the
encountered problems.
Group work will focus on investigate IT management challenges in
real world, preferably Danish, companies of the students'
choice.
Guest lectures will be arranged to contextualize and concretize
issues discussed in class.
Powerpoint-based lectures will be extremely rare. |
| Student workload |
| Attending class discussion, workshops, lectures, etc. |
44 hours |
| Case preparation and literature studies |
99 hours |
| Miniproject |
40 hours |
| Exam case analysis |
24 hours |
|
| Further Information |
|
Changes in course schedule may occur
|
| Expected literature |
|
Main course book:
“The Adventures of an IT Leader”. By Robert D Austin, Richard L
Nolan, and Shannon O’Donnell. (2009) Published by Harvard Business
School Press. ISBN: 142214660X.
Additional cases and articles (tentative):
- “A Note on Case Learning,” HBS 899-105
- “Understanding Financial Statements” HBS 5238BC
- “Zara: IT for Fast Fashion” HBS 604-081
- “IT Doesn’t Matter” HBS 0306B
- “Dog Eat Dog” Wall Street Journal
- “The IT Productivity Gap” MIT working papers
- Cisco Systems, Inc.: Implementing ERP” HBS 699-022
- “Volkswagen of America: Managing IT Priorities” HBS
605-003
- "Stuxnet" New York Times
- Symantec Internet Security Threat Report
- “Three strategies for Green IT” IT Professional
- “Organizational self-renewal: The role of IS in developing
organizational eco-effectiveness”
- “Bridging the Gap Between Stewards and Creators” HBSP
- Online Streaming Video: “Panel Discussion: The
Organizational Dilemma of Stewards and Creators”
- “The Evolution of Security”
- “CareGroup” HBS 303-097
- “The Myth of Secure Computing” HBS
0306J
|
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