Standardization

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Can the IT trend toward ever-more maintenance be stemmed?What should be the ideal ratio of maintenance to new applications?Is there a trade-off between standardization and flexibility? How are the tworelated in most companies?What should Barton do about Sales’…

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Managing Talent

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What should Barton and Gordon do about the Ivan Korsky problem?How might IT managers best measure and compare the output of diverseemployees? Do you think this measurement should impact the kind of “deal”(contract) that IVK makes with talented…

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Vendor Partnering

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Should acquisition of infrastructure replacement services be an arm’s-lengthtransaction or a close partnership transaction?Which vendor, contract structure, and service delivery model should IVKchoose?How important is “control” to a company like IVK when outsourcing IT? Howshould control be maintained?How…

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Emerging Technology

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Given near-universal web access, ubiquitious personal net-connected portabledevices, and the widespread use of social technologies, can companies still keeptheir information “secret”? As a manager, what should you assume peopleoutside the company know?How would you respond to Bernie Ruben’s…

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Communication

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Conventional wisdom suggests that it’s important to “manage your boss.” As aCIO, what is the best approach to managing your boss? How should Bartonhandle the bad “advice” coming from Williams?How should Barton communicate with people outside the IT…

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Damage

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Which option for securing IVK in the aftermath of the security incident wouldyou choose?What would you disclose?Did CEO Williams make the best decision for IVK? Why didn’t Williams fireBarton?

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Crisis

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How should Barton handle the meeting with the analysts? What questionsshould he be prepared to answer and how should he answer them?How vulnerable is your company (or a company that you know) to a denial ofservice (DoS) attack…

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IT and the Board of Directors

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Why do you think the IT presentation at the board meeting was scheduled asthe last agenda item and given only thirty minutes?What are the board of directors’ responsibilities with respect to IT oversight?Why do you think they seemed…

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IT Priorities

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What processes need to be in place to effectively establish IT project priorities?Is assigning control of IT budgets to user departments an effective mechanismto establish IT priorities? Who should control the IT budget?Given his disagreement with Maggie and…

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The Runaway Project

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What root causes led to the need for a major infrastructure replacement project?What makes such projects so difficult?Do you agree with Barton’s decision to terminate the agreement with NetiFects?Can projects like the IR project be avoided?What are the…

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