Questions and Answers of Information Management Theory And Practice

1. What do you believe is the most significant demographic change facing the American workplace?Why?
3. What principles are the most important in defining and understanding diversity?
4. What organizations can you identify that exemplify each of the diversity management paradigms:resistance, discrimination-and-fairness, accessand-legitimacy, and integration-and-learning?
5. Which dimensions of the business case for diversity are the most persuasive? Why?
6. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the business case for diversity?
1. Why is it important for managers to understand diversity management from both managerial and legal perspectives?
2. If you were a diversity educator, how would you frame the importance of understanding and abiding by the legal dimensions of diversity within the larger framework of managing diversity in
3. Describe the significance of the passage of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
4. Describe the classes protected by the federal government and the related legislation for each.Do you think sexual orientation will become a protected class in the near future?
5. In light of some of the legal cases highlighted in this chapter, response to the following questions:• Griggs v. Duke Power Co.: What was the power company really trying to do? How can a company
1. IBM created eight task forces to enhance diversity within the organization. Which constituencies do these task forces represent? What was the purpose of the task forces? Did they help IBM manage
2. Lou Gerstner said: “We made diversity a market-based issue . . . It’s about understanding our markets, which are diverse and multicultural.” What implications does this statement have for
3. Describe how IBM has focused extensively on people with disabilities both internally with their own employees and externally with their products and customers. What impact has this approach had on
4. Describe IBM’s four “pillars of change.” How have these pillars affected IBM and its diverse employees?
1. What facts in this case appear to be the most important to you?
2. Who are the key stakeholders in this case? How will a verdict for or against Papageorge affect the parties?
3. What actions (if any) should Mothers Work, Inc. take? What message should the company send to the public? Who is Mothers Work’s target audience?
4. What are the critical issues of this case? Which issues should Mothers Work confront first?
5. Since there is no Corporate Communications department, who should deliver Mothers Work’s message?What media should Mothers Work use to convey its position?
6. This lawsuit has not received much media attention (since the original filing of the suit). Why do you think this is the case?
1. Has Jim Adamson been successful in changing the corporate culture at Advantica?
2. How effective is the diversity strategy Advantica has put in place?
3. Do their efforts get to the core problems at Advantica?
4. What are the other major challenges facing the financial future of Advantica?
5. What other avenues of communication could be used to demonstrate the new corporate culture of diversity?
1. Why did Nasser’s progressive goal—to diversify Ford’s workforce—backfire?
2. How did Nasser’s personal story and work background affect his approach and philosophy on managing diversity?
3. Why was Ford’s evaluation system, the PMP, the source of contention for Ford employees who felt discriminated against? In moving away from the PMP, what did Ford do to improve this evaluation
4. The number of older workers in the workforce is increasing—many people now work into their late 60s and 70s. How can businesses adapt to and benefit from this trend?
1. How should management accommodate a variety of conflicting spiritual perspectives in the workplace?
2. Tom Chappell created a spiritual framework for Tom’s of Maine, a family-owned business. Can such a framework be created for a publicly traded company? What differences might there be in its
3. To what extent is Tom Chappell’s spiritual perspective responsible for the company’s organizational culture and the company’s successes and/or failures?
4. What risks might a company encounter when encouraging the expression of spiritual values in the workplace? What advantages does it gain?
1. How could Cracker Barrel’s policy statement have been well intentioned?
2. What benefits did Cracker Barrel achieve by ridding itself of lesbian and gay employees? What were the disadvantages?
3. How should the perceived values of a customer base affect companies’ personnel policies? In a large national corporation, should personnel policies be uniform across all operating units or
1. According to the NOD/Harris survey, people with disabilities are at a “critical disadvantage” when compared with people without disabilities. Why, do you think, is this the case, when
2. What are the various provisions of the three most significant pieces of legislation for people with disabilities: the ADA, ADAAA, and the IDEA?
3. What can society in general and people with disabilities in particular do to change the cultural assumptions that cast people with disabilities as unreliable, expensive, and likely to sue their
4. Why haven’t other companies followed the lead of those organizations, like IBM, that have effectively embraced disabilities as a significant component of diversity—viewing the recruitment and
If you were Ben, would you have been able to understand what was going on and avoided it?
If you put yourself in Sally’s shoes, how would you have handled the situation?
What are the benefits for individuals, organizations, governments, society of the increasing use of digital technology and big data?
Can algorithms understand and interpret patterns of activities to predict behavior and preferences?
What are the implications of the use of algorithmic decision-making on innovation, e.g. automated systems?
How to tackle increasing dependence on IT devices for products and services?
Would algorithms hamper learning. How could organizations support learning and innovation?
What are the economic, legal, organizational, ethical, cultural, and psychological consequences of digitalization? How are these different for different cultures and populations?
What are the benefits and challenges of the use of big data? How can the benefits get maximized and the challenges reduced?
How are the roles of the CIO and CDO changing in the big data industry? How should the CIO/CDO manage big data?
How can industries and governments mitigate the negative effects of big data in the supply chain?
How would the framework presented help organizations and governments mitigate the issues identified? What policies and standard should get introduced to that effect?
What are the differences between the different countries regarding the use of big data and consequent ethical issues?
How can practices improve and the economic and ethical issues reduce?
Consider the success factors listed in Table 1.5. Is it worth undertaking SISP without top management involvement and support?
Compare the author’s concept of SISP with more recent considerations of IS strategizing covered in Chapters 2–4. Does his treatment remain relevant?
Debate the strengths and weaknesses of the various SISP approaches introduced in this chapter. Assuming time constraints prevent an ‘everything goes’ approach, which approach might:•• help
The author states that ‘successful SISP seems to require users and line managers working in partnership with the IS function’. Who should be involved in SISP and how should those involved be
How do the approaches that have been introduced in this chapter square with recent developments in the opening of IS strategy?
This chapter suggests that there have been four phases in the development of the thinking and practice of IS strategizing (ISS): isolated; reactive; prospective, and proactive.Do you agree with this
Do the four phases account for recent developments in ISS? How would you amend or extend the framework?
Attempt to apply the components of the ISS framework to an organization with which you are familiar. Is each component in place? Are the components linked in a coherent manner? What does this tell
A number of myths are identified (see also Chapter 3) including those associated with alignment, strategic IT, knowledge management and competitive advantage. Do you agree with identifying these as
A number of myths are identified (see also Chapter 2) including those associated with alignment, strategic IT, knowledge management and competitive advantage. Do you agree with identifying these as
What more recent fads and fashions can you identify in the world of strategic information management? What are the implications of a failure to treat new technologies and innovations more reflexively
Is there such a thing as best practice? Why? Why not? What are the implications of accepting the notion in the context of strategic information management?
Consider the concepts of aligning versus alignment and knowing versus knowledge.What distinguishes one from the other? Are the distinctions helpful when considering the applications of these concepts
Consider an organization with which you are familiar. To what extent does the concept of ambidexterity apply? What is the relative emphasis placed on exploitation versus exploration? What do you
Compare and contrast IS strategizing with IS strategy. What is the distinction? Do you think that the distinction is important? Why? Why not?
Does IT matter strategically? Consider Carr’s Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review articles (Carr, 2003, 2005) and discuss the arguments pro and con.
In Chapter 3, you were asked to consider the concept of ambidexterity in the context of an organization with which you are familiar. Given the additional ideas raised in Chapter 4, go back to your
suggests the ways in which the IS strategizing framework may be applied. What else is uncovered when applying the framework in these ways?
Consider the strategizing environment notion. How might you combine analytical approaches and exploitation with learning and exploration? You may wish to use the example of the same organization as
It is suggested that aligning practices can be grouped under the headings, aligning as:• translation• adaptation• integration• experience.
Consider each and discuss how helpful these headings are in explaining aligning practices.How might you amend or extend this typology?
Apply each of the headings to an organization with which you are familiar. What practices can you identify and how do these compare with those listed in the chapter?
Consider the findings from this review in light of the subject matter of the previous strategies. How does the concept of aligning fit with the information systems planning approaches identified in
What opportunities and threats are presented by digital technologies? How might companies navigate digital transformation?
How would you characterize the need for digital transformation in the digital economy?What is the role of digital innovation for competitive advantage? How might companies achieve and leverage
What are the implications of digital transformation to organizations? Consider small businesses; large organizations; MNCs; public sector; ‘old’ companies, and emerging businesses?
How could big old companies compete in the digital economy and establish themselves as market and digital leaders?
What companies would consider a customer engagement strategy or a digital solutions strategy for their digital transformation? Should companies follow one strategy or a combination of strategies?
What is required for a smooth execution of digital strategy and transformation? How might companies develop the needed capabilities?
How can companies deal with challenges posed by digital technologies? How do you envision the development of digital technologies and their effects on organizations?
What would you recommend to companies struggling to embark on digital transformation?
How could digital transformation help balance exploitation and exploration? What resources and capabilities might organizations require?
Using the digital transformation strategies outlined in Chapter 6, analyze the three case studies presented. What strategies have these organizations utilized? What are the similarities and the
Using the Digital Transformation Framework outlined in the chapter, analyze the examples of the digital transformation companies presented in Chapter 6.
Referring to Part I of the book, discuss IS strategy and digital strategy. Are these distinct strategies?
Have companies go designated digital leadership? Who manages organizations’ digital transformation?
How do companies take culture, economy and society and talent development into account in their digital transformation? Are these considered important?
Is digital leadership a new form of leadership requiring new capabilities and foundations?How would these skills and capabilities get acquired?
What is the importance of a business ecosystem?
Evaluate the role of CDOs in digital transformation. Does the success of digital transformation depend on the CDO?
The LEGO Group example outlines three strands of digital transformation: product, marketing and enterprise. Are these equally important? Suggest other important strands for digitalization. Explain
CDOs are considered business strategists. How do CDOs align with the business strategy and the other c-level roles? Do you perceive any conflicts or other issues?
Analyzing the six cases presented, would argue for the role of CDOs? What seniority level do you think CDOs need to have? Does the level of seniority affect the success of digital transformation?
The cases in the chapter outline a clear distinction between role type and each case assumes only one role. Could CDOs assume multiple types of roles as part of the organizations’ digital
How might CDOs transition between the different roles depending on the needs of the organization? Link your discussion to Chapters 13 and 14.
Why is it important to consider different forms of power along with the role of actors and IS?

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