Sample case study questions for the Final Exam. Answers NOT provided. (Please be aware that the format of your exam questions may be slightly different.)

Sample Question #1: Ferland Electronics manufactures electronic controllers used in heavy industrial sites across Canada. They are planning to build a new company-wide information system. They have recently hired several very experienced IT specialists but many of their most experienced business experts have retired and their replacements are young and inexperienced. Early on it is clear that the business experts are very confused about their role in systems development. The management at Ferland Electronics know that you are an experienced knowledge worker so they decide to hire you to lead their young business experts. The first thing you need to do is to explain to the young business experts why they are essential to the success of the new information system. From that point on the business experts better understand their role and have been working together well with the IT specialists. Your services are no longer required and you have left the company. Eventually the IT specialists will be primarily working on their own to complete the system. Unfortunately some of the young business experts were having difficulty performing their main duties with the company and had to be replaced. The IT specialists grow frustrated with changeover in staff and decide to complete the system without any further involvement from the business experts. After one year the system is finally implemented. Unsurprisingly, the business experts are finding the new system is not entirely suitable to their needs. There is a lot of animosity between the IT specialists and the business experts so Ferland management decides to hire you again to help them analyze what went wrong and how to fix it.

Sample Question #2: You have been hired to a management position in the marketing department at Anvil Pharmaceuticals. The company is trying to market their newly developed drug called Adderol. The test results for Adderol have shown a very high success rate in treating a common but previously incurable disease. However, the company has been getting reports of possible deadly side effects in a few test patients. Top management has made the decision not to reveal the reports of the side effects and will soon start a large marketing campaign to promote the success of the drug. You, as a manager in the marketing department, stand to make a huge cash bonus if this drug is successful. However, you are very concerned with the fact the company is not revealing the reports of side-effects. You have discussed your concerns with the president of marketing and he angrily advises you to just do your job and let top management take care of business. You start to suspect that someone is spying on you and you become very cautious while working on your computer. After careful consideration you decide to blow the whistle on the company and do a live interview on CNN. You are going to reveal the side-effects which you know will have a negative effect on marketing.