Discussion:
Midterm
You are to provide a "map" to a new reading that addresses each of the problems we discussed. This article is not one that you have used in the course or that I provided in the assigned readings. It may be one that I used to round out our discussions. It is fresh. The date of it does not matter. If you refer to the reading summaries I provided you will see exactly how to do this. Submit one paper with all four documents. Your article must address the problem for the topic. Length will be shaped by thoroughness. Look at my summaries to get an idea of how I approached this project and the varying degrees of length. Print all your source articles as PDF and attach them as well. If you do not have Adobe PDF print (Windows 10 comes with this) you can use a freebee CutePDF.exe.
Format:
Reference:
Citation:
• Major theme of the essay: (abstract)
• Arguments used to support this theme (review)
• Ideas that support the problem under review (critical analysis)
• Discussion of the problem (how does it help us understand the problem?)
Discussion Questions
1. If the CIO is to be valued as a strategic actor, how can he bring to the table the ethos of alignment, bound to the demands of process strategic planning to move IT to the forefront of the organization's future? Select an article to review that assists in our understanding of this problem.
2. Review and discuss an article that sheds light on the conditions that lead to the "freedom with fences" (the ability to be innovative and creative within certain prescribed boundaries) organization.
3. You are the new CIO of a large wholesale manufacturing firm. The CFO has historically "run the numbers" for the IT component, but projects have always been pitched more for their aesthetic value over RoI. Present a review of an article for your CFO, CEO, and disseminate to your IT staff, on how you would like to frame the IT fiscal with a logic for doing so.
4. Review an article that discusses the benefits and risks, and how we can anticipate an overall positive RoI for conversion to a cloud based platforms.