Questions and Answers of Leadership

A new financial analyst at your firm has been tasked with performing a competitive analysis of your firm's IT spending versus your three top competitors. Over lunch with you and a couple of other
Develop a timeline that identifies the approximate times at which the various stages of the Change Management Continuum Model should occur for the implementation of a major enterprise system. Assume
Considering the Diffusion of Innovation theory, which categories of adopters might you enlist to help in gaining acceptance of a new information system? What specifically would you ask of these
Identify six key actions managers can take to increase end users' acceptance and usage of a new information system and associated work processes.
1. Outline a strategy that could be used by Walmart to encourage vendors to not just accept the new GRS system and processes but to embrace them. What will it take to implement these measures? 2.
Imagine instead that the new Avon order management system was well designed and extremely easy to use. Identify key actions that the Avon management team must take to ensure a successful rollout of
The board of directors at City Hospital is determined not to be fined for violation of HIPAA rules. They asked your consulting group to prepare a comprehensive strategy to communicate to employees
You are the new office manager for a small accounting firm of 12 people. You just received a complaint of an employee viewing pornography while at work. Not only is the employee wasting company time
Should it be the responsibility of IT or business managers to identify and define tasks for the successful introduction and adoption of a new IT system?
Based on your own experience and reading, identify and briefly discuss an example of an organization that has invested greatly in IT and yet has relatively little to show as a result. Identify and
What percentage of revenue should an organization spend on IT? Explain the rationale for your answer.
What are the basic reasons that people resist change? How can this resistance be overcome?
What is meant by management expectations, and how can they affect the acceptance of new IT?
You were just hired to fill an entry-level position in the customer service organization of a large retail store. You are completing the first day of new hire orientation when the trainer shares with
Johns Hopkins Medicine strives to create a culture in which diversity, inclusion, civility, collegiality, and professionalism are championed through actions, incentives, and accountability. You are a
You are an experienced and well-respected member of the Chevron human resources organization and are frequently asked for advice on personnel matters. So you are not surprised when you receive a call
To what degree do you think an organization's strategic plan is influenced by the vision, personality, and leadership capabilities of the CEO? Do research to identify an example of a strategic plan
What would it imply if, while performing a SWOT analysis, an organization could not identify any opportunities? What if it could not identify any threats?
How would you distinguish between an organizational weakness and a threat to the organization? How would you distinguish between a strength and an opportunity?
Brainstorm an approach you might use to gather data to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a competing organization. Identify resources, specific tools, or techniques you might apply to gain
Would you recommend that an organization set BHAGs? Why or why not? Identify an example of a BHAG from a real organization. Was that BHAG achieved?
Discuss what it means to deploy an organization's strategic plan. Why is deployment important? Outline an effective approach for a medium-sized organization with operations in six states to deploy
In comparing two potential IT projects, one project has an economic rate of return of 22 percent but does not directly relate to any identified strategic objectives. Another project has no apparent
You are a facilitator for a strategic planning session for a new, small organization that was spun off from a much larger organization just six months ago. The CEO and four senior managers involved
You are a member of the finance organization of a mid-sized manufacturer. You serve as a liaison between the finance group and the IT organization for budget review. The IT organization has just
You are pleased to find yourself sitting in the office of the CIO along with four other new employees in the IT department. The CIO welcomes you all to the firm and firmly shakes each of your hands.
Do research online to find the success rate of IT projects compared to all types of organizational projects. Which has the higher success rate? Why do you think that this is so?
Identify some of the challenges of performing project integration management on a project in which team members are distributed globally and cannot physically meet in one location. How might these
Imagine that you are hiring a firm to complete a large but undetermined amount of project work for your firm. Which form of contract would you prefer and why?
How would you respond to a project team member who feels that risk management is a waste of time because the future cannot be predicted? Instead, this person prefers to react to problems as they
What is meant by the scope of a project? How can the scope of a project be defined?
Distinguish between the role of the project champion and the role of the project sponsor. Is one more important to the success of a project than the other?
Present an argument of why organizations should not include internal cross-charges in evaluating the economic desirability of projects. Now present an argument of why they should. What is your final
What is the difference between quality assurance and quality control?
Describe three specific actions that the ideal project sponsor should take to ensure the success of a project.
Is there a difference between project time management and personal time management? Can someone be "good" at one but not the other? Explain your answer.
Discuss the team dynamics for a highly effective (or ineffective) team of which you were a member. Can you explain why the team performed so well (or poorly) using the
What sort of behaviors would indicate that the business organization is not fully engaged in a project and instead is looking to the project team to make the project a success? What is the danger
You are on the phone with the project sponsor of a project you are managing. He informs you that he accepted the role reluctantly and now, two months into this eight-month project, he is considering
You and a small group of managers from the sponsoring organization have just completed defining the scope, schedule, and cost for an important project in your firm. You estimate that the project will
You are surprised when your project team "pushes back" on your request for them to schedule a full-day offsite to work with you to develop a risk management plan. They state that they are simply too
1. Do research online to identify the capabilities of digital asset management software. What are the top rated digital asset management software products? Who uses this software? 2. Given the NAO's
1. How has Webcor used technology to support project management in the construction field? 2. List the main lessons IT managers can learn from Webcor Builders about the successful adoption of new
You are part of a team that is evaluating and selecting an outsourcing service provider for your firm. During the course of your initial conversation with a manager from one prospective vendor, she
In the course of discussions with a potential outsourcing service provider, a spokesperson reveals that her firm had a major security breach last year. However, she goes on to explain, the company
You are the chief negotiator for your organization's first outsourcing effort. Your team feels it has identified an excellent outsourcing service provider that meets all your selection criteria. Your
You have just been appointed the role of SLA manager for your firm's recently approved $215 million outsourcing contract with IBM. Your manager suggests that you initiate contact with the IBM SLA
What are some differences and key issues that distinguish public, private, and hybrid cloud computing?
What are some hallmarks of a good user-outsourcing service provider relationship?
What is the Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements 16 (SSAE 16)? Why is it important to an outsourcing service provider?
What are some factors that should be considered when evaluating service provider locations?
Is it reasonable that an Indian business organization might elect to offshore outsource some of its business processes? Explain your answer fully.
In your career, are you involved in performing or managing a core business process? How might your involvement in a core business process affect your future career with your current employer?
Identify five key areas of risk associated with outsourcing. What additional risks are introduced with offshore outsourcing?
A process for planning an effective outsourcing process was outlined in the chapter. Which steps in this process help to reduce the risks of an outsourcing failure? How do these steps reduce risk?
Why is the termination clause in an outsourcing contract critical? What are some of the common causes for termination?
What is meant by smart sourcing?
Give an example of a business process that would be appropriate to consider for a firm's first venture into business process outsourcing.
Is there a difference between an outsourcing service provider and a partner? Explain fully.
You have worked for two years as the claims manager in a mid-sized financial services firm. You have been wondering about your future with the firm as you've heard rumors that it is about to close a
1. How did P&G's decision to centralize and standardize global business services in the 1990s enable it to effectively outsource business services starting in 2003? 2. How has outsourcing benefited
You have applied for the open position of director of cash and investments at Ball State University. The interviewer has just briefly explained the investment fraud that occurred at the school and
You are a manager in the IT group of a midsized manufacturing firm. Your career is going well-you have received a promotion and two salary increases in your three years with the company. Following a
You have been assigned by your manager to participate as a member of a multifunctional team to develop your organization's first disaster recovery plan. As you join the others on the team for your
Provide a strong argument for the creation of an IT governance committee that reports to the board of directors.
What is the scope of a business continuity plan? How is it different from a disaster recovery plan?
Should suppliers and customers have any role in defining the business impact of a disruption in your organization's various business functions? Explain why or why not.
Identify and briefly discuss the five central themes of IT governance.
How would you distinguish between corporate governance and IT governance in terms of the goals and issues that each addresses?
In what way do the rules and regulations shown in Table 5-1 impact you in your role at work or as a student? Which is the most significant? Why?
What is the goal of an organization's system of internal controls? Provide several examples of good internal controls and several examples of poor internal controls.
What is needed besides a good set of internal controls to protect an organization from fraud?
In what ways are ITIL and COBIT similar? How are they different?
Is it important for business managers to understand and be involved in IT governance? Why or why not?
Your small company (20 employees) has never had a disaster recovery plan but is now considering entering into a DRaaS contract with a major IT firm. You are surprised when you hear a member of the
You are a senior manager for your firm and are responsible for leading the IT governance subcommittee. You just received a text message from a young IT project manager whom you met last week. "We are
You were appointed project leader for your organization's business continuity planning effort. No one in the company has even looked at the plan in more than three years, let alone tried to execute
1. What lessons about DR systems have been learned from natural disasters and terrorist attacks?2. How do these lessons vary depending on the size of a company, its industry, its customer base, and
You are having lunch with a few of your coworkers when the discussion turns to the topic of corporate blogs. One of your friends works in the IT group and reveals that she has just completed an
Your manager pulls you aside as you both are leaving a presentation by the marketing director, and says, "I'm confused. Can you please explain the difference between a podcast, a Web conference, a
Your manager, the CFO, is adamant-she wishes to put an end to the "Tower of Babel" as she calls the plethora of collaboration tools employed across the company. She wants to ensure there is improved
How would you define collaboration? How does the level of collaboration within an organization impact its success? Describe an example of effective collaboration from your own experience.
What is a shared workspace? How can it be used for collaboration? What standards or guidelines need to be established before setting up a shared workspace for a project team or work group?
How would you differentiate between a Webcast and a Webinar? Describe a scenario in which the use of a Webcast would be appropriate. Describe a scenario in which the use of a Webinar would be
Identify and briefly discuss three recommendations that should be followed when using a corporate blog for branding, marketing, or public relations purposes.
What are some potential legal and privacy issues that could arise when posting to a corporate blog? Discuss how you are protected by the First Amendment when posting to a corporate blog.
What is the difference between IM and chat? What advantages do these services have over the use of email? What potential legal and privacy issues are raised through the use of IM and chat?
Which features of online project management software are most important to you in managing a project? Describe specific capabilities that you think add the most value.
What sort of standards should be agreed upon before establishing a corporate wiki? Why are such standards important?
What is presence information? How can it be useful?
What is unified communications (UC)? What are its primary benefits? What issues can arise in implementing a UC solution?
You have been asked to draft a corporate usage policy regarding the use of instant messaging. The policy should encourage the use of IM and chat while also providing useful guidance to avoid
You are the newly appointed service manager for your organization's presence information service. The service was implemented three months ago, but it is not being used effectively. Nearly 50 percent
Posted on the internal human resources organization blog site is a message from the head of the department saying, "I've been asked to work with the IT organization to empower all our employees to
Choose a small, local company or a large, multinational company in which you are interested. Do research about this company to determine how it might use unified communications (UC). Can you define
1. What advantages do Sharepoint and similar products offer above and beyond the standard project management tools? 2. How does Sharepoint make use of emails and social media (its newsfeed)? What are
How do you define e-commerce? What business processes does it encompass? What do you think are the three primary business benefits of an e-commerce operation for a retail organization interacting
Compare and contrast omnichannel retailing to multichannel retailing.
Define C2C e-commerce. What role can private forwarding addresses play in the C2C e-commerce marketplace?
Visit three e-gov G2C Web sites and identify which Web site best meets the needs of its intended users. Justify your choice.

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