As noted in the syllabus, the term paper in this course will involve
students identifying, on their own, a company which has leveraged a new IT
solution in order to secure or improve competitive advantages. Please avoid
companies/use cases already described in the textbook for this term paper.
After selecting a company, and using at least 3 credible sources (described
further below), please answer the following questions:
1) Company name, description, structure, service/product(s) provided, and
core competencies. This can be any type of business, small/medium/large.
You don’t have to use a “blue chip” company, but you would need to use a
company with documented information in credible, external sources, which you
can cite.
2) A description of a problem, weakness, or opportunity which inspired the
adoption of a new IT/technology solution. In your answer, include at least
1 of Porter’s forces and at least 1 Generic IS strategy, concerning the new
system’s objectives. For example (succinctly), the new system addressed
competition from new market entrants (the force) by implementing a system
supporting better product differentiation (the strategy). Refer to text pp
94-100 for more information.
3) A business *and* technical description of the technology solution itself.
Please include both dimensions in your answer. This should be the main
substance of your paper. Think about the business processes or capabilities
the new system supports, along with the actual technologies (operating
systems, hosted vs. on prem, was it ERP, analytical vs. transactional, off
the shelf vs. built in house, security requirements, networking
requirements, user interfaces, BI/analytical capabilities, etc.).
4) Did the new solution achieve its objectives? Why or why not? What did
the new system cost (if that data is available)? Were there any
labor/training implications?
5) A brief paragraph with your opinion concerning the success or failure of
the new system. If the system was a complete failure, don’t be afraid to
say so, andwhy you feel that way. Many IT projects fail.
6) A works cited page (not included in the page totals).
Answers should be, in general, around 3 full (minimum) to 5 full (maximum)
pages, 12 point times new roman, double spaced. Include your name in the
top right header, and a page number in the bottom footer.
-Please use DOCX or PDF format only. Use MLA citation format for
quoting/paraphrasing your sources.
– 5 points will be automatically deducted if not formatted properly.
– Credible sources: Mainstream news sites, company publications, academic
periodicals, other textbooks, etc. Do not cite Wikipedia, blogs, social
media, or write ups that are entirely op-ed.
– You can number and outline your answers if it helps you organize your
thoughts, but don’t use numbering and outline as a way to increase your page
counts.
– You don’t need to write extraneous introductions/conclusions to make the
page minimum. Stick to the answer. Length and quality aren’t always
correlated.
– In general, if you answer each question thoughtfully, you should have no
problem hitting the 3 page minimum.
– Do not strictly adapt from anecdotal experiences working at your own
company/companies, unless you can find external/credible information
documented elsewhere, and cite that information appropriately. Many of you
have had some interesting discussion postings about your
employers/companies, but I need to see information cited from credible,
external sources in order to give you full credit
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