Assignment #1 – Case Analysis
A Word of Caution: This Case Analysis assignment will take much longer to complete successfully than you think. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE – TIME WILL BE YOUR GREATEST ENEMY!
This is an Individual Assignment. Be very careful about plagiarism….
The purpose of the case analysis is to present you with a typical scenario you will encounter in business at some point in your early career and to let you apply the concepts you’ve learned in class and from the book to analyze the issues facing a specific company (or person).
Your assignment: Using the provided “SMB Case” material plus additional information that you have researched, write a Case Analysis that provides a solidly considered IT/IS strategy recommendation to Janice (Senior Director of IT) [You are writing this for her, not me.] that will help accelerate the growth of the business by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing, sales, inventory and accounting functions. As with all business writing, assume other people not directly addressed may read your case. In this instance, assume all the senior executives will read your analysis. Note that the market opportunity is good so there is growing competition in the region from other larger, more technically savvy companies.
As you consider the elements of the case, think about the implications of the Enhanced Leavitt’s Diamond Model that we covered in class. This is your tool to make sure all relevant bases/topics are covered appropriately.
Note: Liberal use of tables, charts and diagrams is highly recommended. Any financial information related to your implementation must be in table format.
There are several questions that you must consider in your analysis. Please answer them in order given and restate the questions as a 4 to 5 word header as a statement (not a question):
1. Should the company automate, informate, re-engineer or paradigm shift? Why did you make the specific choice? Cite best-in-class examples that support your choice.
2. Using Leavitt’s Diamond Model – Modified, please cover the four main areas*:
a) Process
b) Structure
c) Technology
d) People
3. High-level Budget for the implementation (presented in a table). Cite your sources.
4. Timeline for the Implementation.
5. What will the toughest implementation task be?
6. What risks are there of following your strategy? How would you mitigate them? (Remember – If you highlight a Risk you must always propose a Solution.)
*Note: Please use as the section main head “Areas to Consider” and use “Process”, “Structure”, etc. as sub headers.
