Design and Implementation of a Wide Area Network

This case deals with the experience of a school district in the design and implementation of a wide area network. The problems faced by the school district that made the WAN a necessity are enumerated. The choice of hardware and the software is explained within the context of the needs of the school district. Finally the benefits accruing to the school district are identified, and the cost of the overall system is determined.

Incentives and Knowledge Mismatch

A large public bank B in an economy now under transition to liberalization, attempted reengineering its structure and business processes. B has a large branch-based structure to acquire local savings where banking processes add little value. Value is added at the head office through bankbased financial operations and through providing credit to industry. Appreciating that competition was sharpening; two successive chairmen and a few senior managers initiated change management. However, they could not choosefrom out of structure, business process, strategy and technology what was the driver of change and in what sequence of change would be the best outcome! A consultant was appointed. However, negotiations on change management between the stakeholders and the consultant resulted in tacit opportunistic alliance. An apparently loaded report on change resulted in minor changes. BPR failed because processes remained unrecognized and technology instead of hastening change turned out to be a new instrument of monitoring.

Application of Tree-Based Solutions

This case is a study of the application of tree-based solutions to Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) challenges in the development of a computerized system to meet complex, yet exacting compliance requirements extended to thousands of employees in a largescale organization. We rehearse the history of the project and include information on the theoretical structure of the tree-based solution used. Using primary research documentation, we use a constructivist approach to the issue of subject matter expert empowerment, a major theme of the case. Of particular interest is how the engineer in question was able to modify his work paradigm to incorporate a new role as digital content designer and overseer of the project. Additionally, the study concentrates on the overall effects of the project on other INEEL systems and working environments at the INEEL. Implications of management- and subject matter expert-directed system design projects using tree-based tools are considered with respect to all aspects of enterprise systems development.

Everyone's Watching

In 1996 he Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety launched the Genesis project, a technology-enabled reengineering endeavor. In September of 1999, after four years of planning, organizational restructuring and system development, the new system was released. To the accompaniment of great publicity, it fell dramatically short of expectations. This case provides the background necessary to understand the origins and shortcomings of the system, then focuses on the turn-around effort that took the system to a point of successful operation within a year of its going into production. The turn around was accomplished under great pressure to retreat to the legacy system. The effort involved a synergy of manual and technical corrections to bring overall system performance to acceptable levels. The DMV now faces the formidable challenge of taking full responsibility for the long-term maintenance of a system that was designed and implemented by outside contractors.

Adopting IT

Small companies are often reluctant to try innovative approaches to information management because of the cost of the hardware and software, the potential disruption of processes already dependent on overstressed resources and the lack of in-house expertise. This case looks at the experience with information technology (IT) implementation of one small nonprofit company that provides administrative services for child care providers. Like many companies of all sizes, the focal company realized it must adopt new information technologies in order to survive. The company fit the profile for small companies just entering the world of IT. It experienced the expected internal problems associated with change. And then it discovered that its size and its relationship to government oversight agencies, themselves struggling to implement IT, posed special threats to its survival.

IS Strategy at NZMilk

NZmilk is a small, fresh milk supplier that is contemplating using IS to a greater extent to become more competitive. Following deregulation of the industry in 1997, supermarkets and home delivery contractors could purchase milk from wherever they chose, rather than a required local manufacturer. This had opened up both competition and expansion opportunities within the industry. NZmilk recognised that they would have to fight hard to retain and increase their share of the market. They had already lost some of their local market to competitors coming in from outside their region, but had also gained a contract to supply Woolworths supermarkets outside their traditional market area. Improvements to production facilities and distribution systems were in place, but NZmilk knew that a fresh look at how they interacted with their customers would be needed. Their general manager was convinced that information systems had a greater role to play at NZmilk beyond just the accounting and order processing that was presently undertaken. A new direction in using information systems to support NZmilks rapid growth and new strategy was needed, but he was unsure of which way to proceed.

Prudential Chamberlain Stiehl

This case describes the evolution of an IT architecture for Prudential Chamberlain Stiehl Realtors (PCSR), a 14-office, 250 sales agent real estate firm located in Southeast Michigan. Initially, the CIO of the firm concentrated on providing basic connectivity to sales agents and a simple World Wide Web (WWW) presence. Although this was accepted by users and moved the firm forward technically, management questioned the value of this technology. In the next phase of development, PCSR worked to build a rich set of applications that enhance the firms relationships with clients and agents. At the end of the case, the CIO ponders future moves in technology and their impact on the firms strategy.

Implementing Information Technology to Effectively Utilize Enterprise Information Resources

This is a typical case of implementing information technology in order to assist an enterprise to effectively utilize its production information resources. The enterprise, a world-class leader in Pharmaceutical industry, currently keeps a large number of technical research reports on shared network media. These reports contain scientific specifications extremely essential to the enterprises final products. In order to utilize these reports, a researcher has to navigate and literarly read through each report to identify whether it is relevant to what he/she is currently working on. Often times, researchers find it more feasible to create their own reports rather than wasting time and energy on the searching process. Our solution to the problem is to create an information system which will keep track of these reports, provide a concise synopsis of each report, enable the researchers to search using keywords, and give a direct link to locate that report via a friendly Web-based user-interface.

IT Based Decision Tools for Item Processing Operations Management in Retail Banking

Merit Bank is a multi-line financial services company with $75 billion in assets and approximately 1,000 retail branches distributed across 20 geographic divisions in 16 states. In 1999, Merits retail banking operations generated $2.1 billion of revenues and $1 billion in net income. Over the past decade, Merits aggressive acquisition and consolidation strategy in its retail and commercial banking divisions has significantly increased check processing volumes and motivated major investments in automated imaging technology and branch operations reporting systems. When these investments failed to reduce overall check processing costs, a consulting team was formed to define the breakthrough opportunities and best-in-class management practices needed to restructure under performing operations. By using updated scheduling criteria reflecting current business conditions and more fully exploiting imaging and branch reporting software, the consulting team successfully developed and implemented interfacing tools responsible for significant cost savings in check processing operations.

Systems Design Issues in Planning and Implementation

Telecommunications Company (TC) [company identity is concealed] produced a sales management application through internal and contract resources. This application, Schedule Graph (SG) System, was designed to automate the sales schedule process that had previously been a paper and pencil process. The system was designed and implemented in a matter of months to reduce cost and deliver an application that was long overdue. The project had been proposed for years, but funding issues had routinely delayed initiation. The sales development organization worked on the design and development for this application for approximately six months. The application was released with numerous software, hardware and network problems. The effects on the customer community, the information systems department and other stakeholders were sharp and far reaching. This case study investigates the lessons learned with this application and the implications for theory and practice. It can be instrumental to information systems managers, academicians and students to learn from the success and pitfalls of other organizations related to information systems development and management.