Strategic use or Deployment of IT

Important Message from Tutor :

Many of you seem to have TOTALLY ignored the fact that this MSc course is about the strategic use of Business IT. You all have a PgD in this area so you are supposed to at least know what it means.

If your outcome does NOT lead to or imply the strategic deployment of IT resources to solve whatever is your presenting problem then it will NOT be acceptable.

Many of you are getting muddled here. It is quite possible for something to be strategically important for a company but not represent the strategic deployment of IT. For example, a company might for strategic business reasons want to move its headquarters and that may or may not mean that a decision has to be taken regarding IT resources. Some examples might help:

1. Suppose you write an outcome about use of Kiosk technology in large stores. That is fine if you can show that it implies a decision, based on the use of your outcome, by the company to deploy strategic IT resources to support it.

2. Suppose your outcome is about a plan for improving staff competence in the use of the computerized accounting system. Well as a plan that is ok but in what way does it involve the deployment of IT resources in its resolution? One cannot call a plan for getting better accounting system competencies being used to deploy IT resources. One might argue here that with greater competencies we are better able to deploy existing IT resources.

But the issues is that YOU have to convince us that there is IT learning and that there is IT deployment. If you don't you will not pass.

How to Answer Question 1a in Proposal

Suggested Problem Statement Structure for Questions:

A good structure for your answer is to say what the setting for the problem is, discuss the problem, what the topic area is and finally argue that it can be solved by using IT strategically.

Please find below is the example of explored problem using the CCC-APE model found in the workbook:

The presenting problem is set in my company ABC where we offer POS systems, services and support to the retail industry in Hong Kong where we have a client base of around 75 companies at present.

For some time now the company have been expanding and part of this has been to operate through service agents who use our help desk system and it is therefore strategically important that these IT systems are able to fully support and monitor these agents, however, it is suspected that this has generated customer difficulties, complaints as well as in one or two cases being very costly.

In view of this, ABC management would like a review of service agent provision and based on discussion with the ABC service managers it is agree that the presenting problem be defined as management concerns over the trustworthiness, competence and regulation of service agents for our POS products.

Notice: setting is ABC in Hong Kong, topic area is POS and its support and the problem is about management concerns over monitoring agents and it is strategic business IT because it operates through an ABC host help desk system (if you like you can say the help desk system was a strategic company choice).


Guidances on the 4 elements for RQ:

Set your answer out as follows, you will then know you have covered everything and what your ideas are. You can change the words a little or change the order but all 4 elements must be there

Problem Setting - eg. my Company ABC and its ERP system......

Topic Area - modern integrated software applications...

Presenting Problem - reluctance by some Departments to move suitable manual processes to the new system ....

Implied Strategic IT deployment - the ERP system represents a significant deployment of IT resources and unless better use id made of it ....

CAUTION - do not waste the available words all on the setting because that really requires no thought at all and to do so and neglect the other areas is pointless

Getting a Project Started

When you go round and round the ideas below, you work through them over and over again until you have a coherent and lucid answer.

Topic Area - usually we start here and it's best to choose an area where you have some knowledge and experience. Topics are the areas where you will go to the library and research the literature. Usually there are two aspects:

• Problem specific - for example if you had a problem in inventory management then you need to be knowledgeable in that area.
• Information Technology - EVERY project MUST have an outcome and that outcome when used by an actor must lead to or imply the strategic deployment of IT assets. It follows that you must research the relevant IT areas.

Presenting Problem - this is an area of concern of some kind, usually in your company and its resolution will bring benefits. This is a difficult element to deal with so read the references and the hints.

Target - these are the end effects you want to see if the problem can be resolved or partially resolved.

Outcome - the object generated at the end of your MSc project in the form of a document of some kind that can be used by an actor to bring about a change that will lead to the target effects.

Actor - this is the person or person who are able to use the outcome.

Setting - this is where your presenting problem is set and most often it is within your workplace so all that is needed is a short description of that setting.

WARNING: - projects MUST involve IT learning and MUST generate an outcome that when used leads to/implies the strategic Deployment of IT. DO NOT ignore this as 12 students in the last cohort failed on this point. They were warned but took no notice and now they have to accept the consequences

Project proposal due soon

Please be reminded that our project proposal will be due for submission soon - 15th August.

FYI, Victory will be down for maintenance on 14 & 15. The last submission will be on 13th August.

View Chat Log at Victory

Do you know how to view the chat history for our class? Please find below are the steps on how to view the chat log in Victory.

1. Login to Victory.
2. Goto Chat.
3. Click on the right end corner "arrow down sign" of the Chat session you want (there are few chat options. ie. Induction chat, RM chat, etc.)
4. Select "view log".

That's it, so simple. :)

Don't wait there, join us for online discussion

It's 2nd week of RM (Research Methods), don't watse your time and keep waiting there. Come on, let's join us.

We are having our daily online discussion chat at Malaysia Time : 10pm. You are welcome to join the group discussion.

To join us is very easy, you just need to have your Yahoo! or MSN/hotmail account. You can leave your email address (account) at our message box.

You are advise to install Yahoo Messanger for our online discussion, the secondary choice for us will be Microsoft Live Messager.

Important Message : Change of Proposal & Assessment Dates

This should be really "good news" for us.....

Our tutor has posted this in discussion board:

Due to the difficulties experienced by some students the various submission dates have been amended as follows.

Proposal - new date 15.08.08. Please amend the schedule in the guidance pack and the assessment template.

Assessment - new date 03.10.08. Please amend the schedule in the guidance pack and the assessment template.

EEQ - as for assessment

Statistics - no change as this only applies to students who have been referred in that subject

Still confuse!!

After attended induction chat on 1st July, study, study and study..... I wish I can finishing all notes, but actual fact is... I can't.

We are supposed to complete our profile and email it to Garlick by end of week 1. Remember this!!! the profile should be in text form, no attachment. Okey! Jangan pandai-pandai, or else you will "kena tembak".

FYI, this week (week 01) activities will be attending RM chat session. You can select to attend either one session on Friday or Saturday, if you would like to attend all 4 sessions, it's up to you.

Apart from this, you should complete as much assignments (assessment, test 1, bright angel exercise, etc) as you can. So that you won't feel so tension and worry, and can't sleep at night. Ha ha ha....

BTW, I only managed to update my profile. But still pending email to our RM tutor for verification and comment. Other tasks, still catching .... up!