In the first weeks of class each student will choose three speakers to prepare questions and write reaction papers for. (If there is not an even disbursement of students to speakers, this will be done through a lottery system). These individuals will be expected to take on a more significant part of the discussion for the given speaker. Questions for the speaker should be prepared in advance of the class and reaction papers should be turned in the following class session.
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Initial Paper (3-5 pages): An initial paper, due the beginning of the second class, shall give you the opportunity to reflect upon your own experience in the field of IT and build your own mental map of IT issues. In turn, this will give us the chance to see how knowledge, skills, and interests are distributed in the class and maybe adapt the course accordingly.
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Prepared Questions: For each speaker that you choose you should prepare 3 thoughtful questions for the class meeting. These questions will be used to jump start the Q&A session of the presentation. Questions may come from the individuals work, written materials about the company, your own experience and the course overview, etc. Please email your question to the professor the day before the class.
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Reaction Papers (2-3 pages): These papers should be a synthesis of your thoughts and reactions to each of the three speakers that you chose to write about. You should incorporate relevant experiences from you past or other courses when appropriate. Good papers will discuss ideas that may be controversial or not fully developed. Papers SHOULD NOT simply recount or summarize the presentation, but should refer to points made in the presentation and discussion and go beyond those points. Each paper should be handed in (hard copy) at the beginning of class the week following the talk you are writing on. After grading a selection of the papers written for each week will be sent to the speaker and his/her feedback and comments invited.
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Final Paper (5-10 pages): A final paper, due one week after the last class, is your opportunity to synthesize the learnings of the seminar. In this context, you may choose to refer back to your initial paper and maybe advance your own mental map of IT. In addition, good papers will pick one or more of the major themes of the seminar and illustrate how two or more speakers illustrate and illuminate the theme, in terms of its importance to business success.
Papers should be double-spaced and use 12 point font.
| LEC # | TOPICS | ASSIGNMENTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Course; “IT as a Transformative and Competitive Resource: Implications for Strategy and Careers.” |
Assignment 1 (PDF)
IT and Our Careers Notes (PDF) |
| 2 | Guest Lecturer: Tom Davenport, Head of Research, Accenture, “The Transformation of IT: A Personal Odyssey.” | Assignment 2 (PDF) |
| 3 | Case Discussion on IT Organization & Governance: State Street Corporation Over Time. | Assignment 3 (PDF) |
| 4 | Guest Lecturer: Marshall Carter, former Chairman and CEO, State Street Corporation, Member of ITBT Advisory Board, “Converting a Bank to an IT Company.” | Assignment 4 (PDF) |
| 5 | Guest Lecturer: Kenan Sahin (ITBT Advisory Board, CEO of TIAX, Inc.) and ITBT Alumni Panel: Ondricek, etc. “IT Relevance in Career Planning and Choice.” | Assignment 5 (PDF) |
| 6 | Case Discussion and IT Scenario Planning: “Observing the Crystal Ball.” | Assignment 6 (PDF) |
| 7 | Guest Lecturer: Rick Swanborg, founder & CEO, ICEX Inc., “Building a Knowledge Services Business in Hard Times.” | Assignment 7 (PDF) |
| 8 | Guest Lecturer: Karl Wachs, CIO, Celanese Corp., “IT as a Facilitator of Corporate Change.” | Assignment 8 (PDF) |
| 9 | Guest Lecturer: Frank Erbrick, McKinsey & Company, former CIO of UPS, “IT and Management Learning by Doing.” | Assignment 9 (PDF) |
| 10 | Guest Lecturer: David Shpilberg, Director, Bain & Company, Inc., “IT and Executives Today: What They Think and What It Means” (preliminary title). | Assignment 10 (PDF) |
| 11 | Guest Lecturer: Jeff Lynn, VP and General Manager, Professional Services, Dell Computer, MIT MBA, Member of ITBT Adv Board, “IT Industry Competition and Career Choice.” | Assignment 11 (PDF) |
| 12 | Closing Case Discussion and Lecture. | Assignment 12 (PDF) |
