Questions and Answers of Information Systems

How have cheaper, faster chips impacted the camera industry? Give an example of the leadership shifts that have occurred in this industry.
As Moore's Law advances, technology becomes increasingly accessible to the poor. Give examples of how tech has benefited those who likely would not have been able to afford the technology of a prior
Name two companies that have incurred the wrath of environmental advocates. What might these firms have done to avoid such criticism?
What are the six waves of computing? Give examples of firms and industries impacted by the sixth wave.
What are the possible consequences should a US firm be deemed "environmentally irresponsible"?
Moore's Law may limit the amount of computing done on the PC, smartphone, or gaming console in front of you. How can cloud computing make these devices seem more powerful? Give examples of when using
Give examples of firms that have effectively leveraged the advancement of processing, storage, and networking technology.
What part might product design and production engineering play in the reduction of the impact of technology waste on the environment?
Why is it difficult to recycle e-waste?
What three interrelated forces threaten to slow the advancement of Moore's Law?
Look online for lists of young entrepreneurs. How many of these firms are tech firms or heavily rely on technology? Are there any sectors more heavily represented than tech?
Look at Fortune's "Best Companies to Work For" list. How many of these firms are technology firms? Which firm would you like to work for? Are they represented on this list?
Which firms do you most admire today? How do these firms use technology? Do you think technology gives them an advantage over rivals? Why or why not?
Search online and compare profits from Google, Apple, and other leading tech firms with those of major media firms and other non tech industry leaders. How have profits at firms such as Google and
How do recent changes in computing impact consumers? Are these changes good or bad? Explain. How do they impact businesses?
Have you ever thought of starting your own tech-enabled business? Brainstorm with some friends. What kinds of ideas do you think might make a good business?
Look at Business Week's "Best Places to Start Your Career" list. Is the firm you mentioned above also on this list?
What areas covered in this book are most exciting? Most intimidating? Which do you think will be most useful?
Serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen has written that "software is eating the world," suggesting that software and computing are transforming entire industries and creating
How have the costs of entrepreneurship changed over the past decade? What forces are behind these changes? What does this mean for the future of entrepreneurship?
What are you considering studying? What are your short- term and long-term job goals? What role will technology play in that career path? What should you be doing to ensure that you have the skills
Venture capitalist Ben Evans, who works with Andreessen, has said "mobile is eating the world." Give examples of how mobile has built billion dollar industries that wouldn't exist without handheld
Many universities and regions have competitions for entrepreneurs (e.g., business plan competitions, elevator pitch competitions). Does your school have such a program? What are the criteria for
Which jobs that exist today likely won't exist at the start of the next decade? Based on your best guess on how technology will develop, can you think of jobs and skill sets that will likely emerge
How is social media impacting firms, individuals, and society?
Research business accelerator programs such as Y- Combinator, TechStars, and DreamIt. Do you have a program like this in your area? What do entrepreneurs get from participating in these programs?
Explore online resources to learn technology on your own and search for programs that encourage college students. If you are from an underrepresented group in technology (i.e., a woman or minority),
What kinds of skills do today's managers need that weren't required a decade ago?
Explore online for lists of resources for entrepreneurship. Use social media to share these resources with your class.
Investigate the role of technology in emerging markets. Come to class with examples to share on how technology is helping fuel economic growth and provide economic opportunity and public good to
Why are we in the "golden age" of technology entrepreneurship? What factors are helping entrepreneurs more rapidly achieve their vision, and with a lower cost?
Work with your instructor to identify and implement ways in which your class can leverage social media. For example, you might create a Facebook group where you can share ideas with your classmates,
Have any alumni from your institution founded technology firms or risen to positions of prominence in tech-focused careers? If so, work with your professor to invite them to come speak to your class
Does technology lower barriers to entry or raise them? Do low entry barriers necessarily mean that a firm is threatened?
Watch the video below, produced by the World Economic Forum. Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) really intelligence? What makes AI "smarter"? Which nations lead in AI and why? What advantages does each
Define and diagram the value chain.
What are Porter's "five forces"?
What is operational effectiveness?
What is strategic positioning?
Discuss the elements of FreshDirect's value chain and the technologies that FreshDirect uses to give the firm a competitive advantage. Why is FreshDirect resistant to imitation from incumbent firms?
Is there such a thing as the first-mover advantage? Why or why not?
Use the five forces model to illustrate competition in the newspaper industry. Are some competitors better positioned to withstand this environment than others? Why or why not? What role do
Is a firm that competes based on the features of technology engaged in operational effectiveness or strategic positioning? Give an example to back up your claim.
Identify two firms in the same industry that have different value chains. Why do you think these firms have different value chains? What role do you think technology plays in the way that each firm
Why did Google beat Yahoo! in search?
What is price transparency? What is information asymmetry? How does the Internet relate to these two concepts? How does the Internet shift bargaining power among the five forces?
What are the dangers of competing on operational Are firms more likely to be considered effectiveness? commodities or differentiated offerings? How would you describe the basis for consumer
How can information technology help a firm build a brand inexpensively?
A former editor of the Harvard Business Review, Nick Carr, once published an article in that same magazine with the title "IT Doesn't Matter." In the article he also offered firms the advice:
How has the rise of the Internet impacted each of the five forces for music retailers?
What is the "resource-based" view of competitive advantage? What are the characteristics of resources that may yield sustainable competitive advantage?
Describe Blue Nile's advantages over a traditional jewelry chain. Can conventional jewelers successfully copy Blue Nile? Why or why not?
Name an early mover that has successfully defended its position. Name another that had been superseded by the competition. What factors contributed to its success or failure?
In what ways is the online music buying experience superior to that of buying in stores?
Examine the FreshDirect business model and list reasons for its competitive advantage. Would a similar business work in your neighborhood? Why or why not?
What are switching costs? What role does technology play in strengthening a firm's switching costs?
You have just written a word processing package far superior in features to Microsoft Word. You now wish to form a company to market it. List and discuss the barriers your startup faces.
What is the substitute for music CDs? What is the comparative sound quality of the substitute? Why would a listener accept an inferior product?
What effect did FreshDirect have on traditional grocers operating in New York City? Why?
What are network effects? Name a product or service that has been able to leverage network effects to its advantage.
What kinds of strategic assets are Google's Android and Apple's iOS seeking to create and exploit? Do you think these firms will be more successful than rivals? Why or why not?
Based on Porter's five forces, is this a good time to enter the retail music industry? Why or why not?
Choose a technology-based company. Discuss its competitive advantage based on the resources it controls.
What role did network effects play in your choice of an operating system, a social network, a word processor, or a mobile phone?
What is the cost to the music industry of music theft? Cite your source.
Use the resource-based view of competitive advantage to explain the collapse of many telecommunications firms in the period following the burst of the dot-com bubble.
How can technology be a distribution channel? Name a firm that has tried to leverage its technology as a distribution channel.
Discuss the concepts of price transparency and information asymmetry as they apply to the diamond industry as a result of the entry of Blue Nile. Name another industry where the Internet has had a
Consider the examples of Barnes & Noble competing with Amazon, and Apple offering iTunes. Are either (or both) of these efforts straddling? Why or why not?
How does Apple compete with rivals? What competitive assets does the firm leverage when competing against Google, Microsoft, and others?
Under what conditions can the Internet strengthen supplier bargaining power? Give an example.
Do you think it is possible to use information technology to achieve competitive advantage? If so, how? If not, why not?
What is the effect of switching costs on buyer bargaining power? Give an example.
What are the potential sources of switching costs if you decide to switch cell phone service providers? Cell phones? Operating systems? Pay TV service?
How does the Internet impact bargaining power for providers of rare or highly differentiated goods? Why?
Why is an innovation based on technology alone often subject to intense competition?
Can you think of firms that have successfully created competitive advantage even though other firms provide essentially the same thing? What factors enable this success?
What can a firm do to prepare for the inevitable expiration of a patent (patents typically expire after twenty years)? Think in terms of the utilization of other assets and the development of
Has anyone shopped at Zara? If so, be prepared to share your experiences and observations with your class. What did you like about the store? What didn't you like? How does Zara differ from other
In what ways is the Zara model counterintuitive? In what ways has Zara's model made the firm a better performer than Gap and other competitors?
The Zara case shows how information systems can impact every single management discipline. Which management disciplines were mentioned in this case? How does technology impact each?
What is the "conventional wisdom" of the fashion industry with respect to design, manufacturing, and advertising?
What factors account for a firm's profit margin? What does Gap focus on? What factors does Zara focus on to ensure a strong profit margin?
Would a traditional Internet storefront work well with Zara's business model? Why or why not?
What do you suppose are the factors that helped Gap to at one point rise to be first in sales in the fashion industry? Why do you suppose Gap profits collapsed?
How is data captured in Zara stores? Using what types or classifications of information systems? How does the firm use this data?
Zara's just-in-time, vertically integrated model has served the firm well, but an excellent business is not a perfect business. Describe the limitations of Zara's model and list steps that management
Where do Gap clothes come from? Who makes them? Why? Are there risks in this approach?
What role does technology play in enabling the other elements of Zara's counterintuitive strategy? Could the firm execute its strategy without technology? Why or why not?
What challenges might Zara face in expanding to China or to the United States? Do you think Zara should increase capacity in Spain or open a regional distribution center in another part of the world?
Describe the downside of working with a supplier exposed as having used unethical practices. How does this potentially damage a firm? How can technology play a role in helping a firm become more
Why has Zara's RFID rollout been less problematic than those at Walmart and JCPenney? How does Zara's use of RFID reduce concerns that customer products will be tracked post-purchase? How does Zara
Search online to find examples of firms that suffered production problems because they employed just-in-time manufacturing or kept limited inventory on hand. What caused the production problems? List
Describe the Fair Factories Clearinghouse. Which firm thought of this effort? Why did they give the effort away? Think in terms of strategic resources: what happens as more firms join this effort and
How does technology spending at Zara compare to that of rivals? Advertising spending? Failed product percentages? Markdowns?
What risks are inherent in the conventional practices in the fashion industry? Is Zara susceptible to these risks? Is Zara susceptible to different risks? If so, what are these?
Consider the Prada case mentioned in the sidebar "Technology Systems." What did Prada fail to consider when it rolled out the technology in its flagship location? Could this effort have been improved
Describe the two separate Netflix offerings.
What were Netflix's sources of competitive advantage in the DVD-by-mail business?
Contrast Netflix's two businesses: DVD-by-mail and streaming. How do costs differ? How are these costs likely to change over time? How is subscriber interest in these services likely to change over

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