Chapter 12 Margin Notes
General Note: This chapter deals with the Enterprise and Global qualities of e-Business. I hope you find it interesting.
Page 466. The author says that "Information technology is the bloodstream that feeds the business process." That's what this entire course is all about.
Page 466, Managing Information Technology. This section is a bit tedious to read--it's one approach, and one you may use in your professional careers.
Page 467, Real World Case #1: Hewlett-Packard: Managing Radical Change in IT to Support New Business Goals. Check it out---if you believe you will ever manage IT project or IT professionals, make a copy of this case and carry it with you all the time. Key quote: "Computer projects have failed for as long as there have been computers." Key terms: "scope creep", "thermocline". Read more about the Computerworld article here.
Page 469, Avnet Marshall: Managing IT. A short one. Key word: "best-of-breed".
Page 471, Managing the IT Function. Interesting how the author notes that "a radical shift is occurring in corporate computing---think of it as the recentralization of management." What are the three reasons the author cites for this? (1)The Internet boom inspired businesses to connect all of its networks. (2)Companies put on their intranets essential applications without which their business could not function (3) it became apparent that maintaining PC's on a network is very, very expensive.
Page 471, Avnet Marshall: e-Business Planning. More about them.
Page 471, Managing the IT Function. Read about the various Management functions in IT.
Page 474, Top IT Jobs. Check this out!
Page 476, Outsourcing and Offshoring IT and IS. Outsourcing is very big---read this section carefully.
Page 476, Figure 12.8: Outsourcing's Top 10. Check it out.
Page 478: Delta Airlines: IT Outsourcing Keeps Them Flying. I read this twice :)
Page 479, Failures in IT Management. We can learn a lot from out failures--check it out.
Page 479, PeopleFirst Finance: Failure of a CRM Project. We learn more from our failures than we do from our successes. Key quotes: "CRM Projects fail more often than not." "Some companies have gotten CRM to work well---on the second or third try."
Page 481, Managing Global IT. Some of you may do this some day---read all about it :)
Page 481, Cendant Corp: Global IT Management Cultural, Political and Geoeconomic Challenges. Key quotes: "The key is to take the time to understand the day-to-day workings of each local IT group." Remember that :)
Page 481, Managing Global IT. Global IT requires management to deal with the challenges it's bound to run up against. Read about this, and the strategies for Global e-Business on these pages.
Page 482, Real World Case #2: IBM Corporation: Competing Globally by Offshoring IT Workers and Giving Away Technology. What do you think about this?
Page 485, Global Competition for IT Talent. Check it out.
Page 485, Global Business/IT Applications. Some examples here, and in Figures 12.11 and 12.12, that you may find interesting.
Page 487, TRW Inc: Global Business/IT Challenges Global IT Platforms. Key quote: "In the world of global IT operations, timing is everything."
Page 488, Global IT Platforms. How do you manage Global It Platforms? Read this section for more details. In particular, check out the Global Data Access Issues section on Page 488. It's fascinating. In Europe, you can cross the borders from one country to another quite easily---this can have significant IT ramifications.
Page 489, Citibank: Consolidating Global IT Platforms. Check it out.
Page 491, Council of Europe: Global Cybercrime Treaty. Check it out.
Page 492, Global Systems Development. How do you develop Global Systems? Read about it here.
Page 493, DHL Worldwide: Global Systems Development. Key quote: "In an incredibly dynamic environment, it is the attitude, rather than gross development capability, that counts the most in recruitment."
Page 499, Real World Case #3: Northwestern Mutual Life, GE and Boeing: The Business Challenges of Outsourcing. Fascinating case--read it carefully.