1
ISM645 Strategic Information Technology Planning v1.1
ISM645 Information Technology Strategic Plan
Template
V1.8
Introduction: How to Use This Tool
This template is developed for small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) that do not have the
resources to perform full IT governance to develop a complex IT strategy. This tool provides an
outline that allows CIOs to develop a simple, yet effective IT strategic plan.
Complete all the sections, using the instructions provided. Each section contains an example that
can be removed once the document is complete.
[Insert Company Name] IT Strategic Plan
Author: [Insert Name]
Created on: [Insert Date]
Last Modified on: [Insert Date]
Executive Introduction (Summary) & Thesis Statement
Introduce the IT Strategic Plan. Give a summary of what is in the document. The Execuvtive
Summary should be a 30 second read and give a clear understanding of what is in the document.
In the last paragraph, include a thesis statement.
Example: This IT Strategic Plan lays out the one, two, and three year plans for MarkO Ltd, with
regards to IT Areas of Applications Development, Networking, Operating Systems, Databases,
Organization, and Hardware; and the ability for this plan to support the business initiatives of the
company.
Strategic IT Mission, IT Vision, and Horizon Statements
Include the IT Mission and IT Vision Statement here. Also, specify the time periods to which this
plan pertains.
Example:
“The mission of this company is to …..”
“This Company will be the ….”
“This plan is expected to cover the period from 01/Sept/2013 to 31/Aug/2015, with strategic plans
for each year noted.”
Purpose of Plan
Indicate the reason for creating this IT strategic plan. Specify what the plan will accomplish.
2
ISM645 Strategic Information Technology Planning v1.1
Example:
The purpose of this plan is to help our company achieve its IT Strategy. It is meant as a guide to
decision making in IT. Incoming tasks to IT will be prioritized and executed (as much as possible)
using this plan as a guide. While exceptions may occur, they should be exceptions, not the
everyday rule.
Corporate Strategy
Describe the strategy of the enterprise. Obtain this information from the CEO or a publication
from top executives.
Example:
Our business strategy is to retain existing customers through continuing to improve our existing
product line as well as gain new customers though aggressive marketing campaigns. We may
also expand the spending of our existing customers by developing other related product lines.
Business Initiatives to Support Corporate Strategy
List the business initiatives that are planned for the period that will support the business strategy.
Example:
Strategy Name Business Initiative Target Completion
Date
Expected
Impact
Retain Existing
Customers
Loyalty Campaign Q1 +10%
Renewal
Rate
Mail Out Satisfac.
Assignment 2- Updated Strategic Plan and Marketing Plan for Domest.docxbraycarissa250
Assignment 2- Updated Strategic Plan and Marketing Plan for Domestic Marketing (150 points)
A)Updated Strategic Plan(20 points)
Include your updated mission, strategic goals, and action plan.
B) Marketing Plan for Domestic Market (130 points)
Develop a brief marketing plan for the domestic marketing. This assignment should be approximately 8-10 pages long.
Sections:
1)Executive Summary (10 points)
i) A detailed overview of your plan
2) SWOT Analysis (15 points)
i) Brief overview of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
3) Segmentation and Targeting Strategy (25 points)
i) Bases of segmentation used
ii) Targeting approach and target customers
4) Unique Selling Proposition (15 points)
i) Discuss positioning strategy and provide positioning statement
ii) Discuss your pricing strategy
5) Distribution Plan (15 points)
i) Detailed plan to get your products to your target market
6) Promotional Strategy (25 points)
i) Marketing material to be used
ii) Integrated communications plan
iii) Online marketing strategy
7) Growth and Retention Strategy (15 points)
i) Plans for growth and retention in customer base
8) Budget and Financial Projections (10 points)
i) Expected costs
ii) Predicted outcomes
Discussion 1(MB)
Improving System Development Productivity
System development productivity can be said to be the ratio of the value of software produced and the value of costs incurred while producing the software. In order to benefit and keep producing a company should make sure that the value of the software produced is always higher. There is a multitude of ways to do this. To begin with, the company should have a clear direction: the reason for this is that software development teams are usually large and lack of clarity of objectives could lead to different teams having distorted goals that could lead to failure of the product (Dos Santos et al., 2000). A clear goal has the advantage of keeping developers aligned and motivated.
In continuation, continuous communication and feedback between all parties involved in the production of the software product is key (Chiang et al., 2004). When there is smooth flow of communication, everybody is aware of the slightest changes in development and plans which then makes them move as a team. Since not everything works to plan, it is important that the team be able to adapt to any changes in the environment. This flexibility could be the difference between the success of the product and its failure.
For the productivity of a system to improve the team players should come together and agree to do a few things right (Storey, 2016). The first thing is that they should ensure that their communication channels are working correctly. Getting updated information and feedback on the system will keep the team working in synchronization and this will improve the chances of the product succeeding. Secondly, the team should agree on automating simple operations or those that do not require a high ...
How to Reach Peak Performance With the Product Management Organizational Heal...Aggregage
The degree of maturity of your product management organization can directly drive your ability to satisfy customers and become more profitable. Our Product Management Organizational Health Checklist and on-demand webinar can help.
This Slideshare presentation is a partial preview of the full business document. To view and download the full document, please go here:
http://flevy.com/browse/business-document/it-strategy-209
This is a comprehensive document on Information Technology (IT) / Management Information Systems (MIS) Strategy.
This document includes IT strategy frameworks, critical success factors, detailed project approach and organizational structure, sample deliverables, and more.
MBA548-IT Management and InnovationReport 2Managing IS for Bus.docxalfredacavx97
MBA548-IT Management and Innovation
Report 2
Managing IS for Business and Sustainability Value
Fall- 2019
Points: 100
Deadline: Sunday, Dec 11, 2019, 11:59pm. D2L Assignment folder
==========================================
For our class, you will conduct a research project examining IT and IT-enabled innovation management issues surrounding a focal company. We will break this project into two reports. The first report will examine issues relevant to the first half of the class (first six topics), and is due halfway through the semester. The second report will examine issues relevant to the second half of the class (the remaining six topics).
First, you will need to choose a company for your research project. Since you will need access to data on the company’s business operation and performance, it is recommended that you choose a publicly traded company for your study, which will allow you to get access to the companies’ multiple reports, including annual reports, financial statements, Global Reporting Initiatives reports, etc. for your research.
I have the assignment sheets for both reports available on D2L. Please take a look at both assignment sheets to have an idea of what you will need to do for your research project. This will help you in identifying the focal company for your research. Please feel free to contact the professor if you have questions in choosing a company for your project.
==========================================
Report 2 requirements:
For the second report, you will examine the focal company’s IS management strategy. The questions below tie directly to topics 7 to 12.
Task: Use knowledge and materials we have covered this semester to write a report (around 2000 words, not including reference list) to assess a company’s current IT/IS management strategy and recommend a way forward for the company with IT/IS. The targeted audience of your report is the general business audience.
For your research, you could examine the company’s publicly available information (website, last 3 years of annual reports, 10-K reports, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reports etc.). You could search these reports using the search terms such as IT, Information Technology, Information Systems, etc.
The report MUST include the following sections, each section will address the questions listed below:
1) Current IT/IS infrastructure and strategic plan (Topic 7): (10 points)
· What is the company’s IT strategic vision? Generally, what is your perception of the company’s view of IS/IT in enabling its business operation and competition? E.g. Does IS/IT play a more supporting role? Or does IS/IT play a more strategic driving role? Does the company see IT as a competitive necessity, or a competitive advantage?
· Examine the companies’ report to find some examples of IT-enabled initiatives. Discuss how they are related to the companies’ overarching IT vision.
2) IT/IS budget, IT-enabled initiatives, and IT Impacts (Topic 8): (15 po.
Assignment 2- Updated Strategic Plan and Marketing Plan for Domest.docxbraycarissa250
Assignment 2- Updated Strategic Plan and Marketing Plan for Domestic Marketing (150 points)
A)Updated Strategic Plan(20 points)
Include your updated mission, strategic goals, and action plan.
B) Marketing Plan for Domestic Market (130 points)
Develop a brief marketing plan for the domestic marketing. This assignment should be approximately 8-10 pages long.
Sections:
1)Executive Summary (10 points)
i) A detailed overview of your plan
2) SWOT Analysis (15 points)
i) Brief overview of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
3) Segmentation and Targeting Strategy (25 points)
i) Bases of segmentation used
ii) Targeting approach and target customers
4) Unique Selling Proposition (15 points)
i) Discuss positioning strategy and provide positioning statement
ii) Discuss your pricing strategy
5) Distribution Plan (15 points)
i) Detailed plan to get your products to your target market
6) Promotional Strategy (25 points)
i) Marketing material to be used
ii) Integrated communications plan
iii) Online marketing strategy
7) Growth and Retention Strategy (15 points)
i) Plans for growth and retention in customer base
8) Budget and Financial Projections (10 points)
i) Expected costs
ii) Predicted outcomes
Discussion 1(MB)
Improving System Development Productivity
System development productivity can be said to be the ratio of the value of software produced and the value of costs incurred while producing the software. In order to benefit and keep producing a company should make sure that the value of the software produced is always higher. There is a multitude of ways to do this. To begin with, the company should have a clear direction: the reason for this is that software development teams are usually large and lack of clarity of objectives could lead to different teams having distorted goals that could lead to failure of the product (Dos Santos et al., 2000). A clear goal has the advantage of keeping developers aligned and motivated.
In continuation, continuous communication and feedback between all parties involved in the production of the software product is key (Chiang et al., 2004). When there is smooth flow of communication, everybody is aware of the slightest changes in development and plans which then makes them move as a team. Since not everything works to plan, it is important that the team be able to adapt to any changes in the environment. This flexibility could be the difference between the success of the product and its failure.
For the productivity of a system to improve the team players should come together and agree to do a few things right (Storey, 2016). The first thing is that they should ensure that their communication channels are working correctly. Getting updated information and feedback on the system will keep the team working in synchronization and this will improve the chances of the product succeeding. Secondly, the team should agree on automating simple operations or those that do not require a high ...
How to Reach Peak Performance With the Product Management Organizational Heal...Aggregage
The degree of maturity of your product management organization can directly drive your ability to satisfy customers and become more profitable. Our Product Management Organizational Health Checklist and on-demand webinar can help.
This Slideshare presentation is a partial preview of the full business document. To view and download the full document, please go here:
http://flevy.com/browse/business-document/it-strategy-209
This is a comprehensive document on Information Technology (IT) / Management Information Systems (MIS) Strategy.
This document includes IT strategy frameworks, critical success factors, detailed project approach and organizational structure, sample deliverables, and more.
MBA548-IT Management and InnovationReport 2Managing IS for Bus.docxalfredacavx97
MBA548-IT Management and Innovation
Report 2
Managing IS for Business and Sustainability Value
Fall- 2019
Points: 100
Deadline: Sunday, Dec 11, 2019, 11:59pm. D2L Assignment folder
==========================================
For our class, you will conduct a research project examining IT and IT-enabled innovation management issues surrounding a focal company. We will break this project into two reports. The first report will examine issues relevant to the first half of the class (first six topics), and is due halfway through the semester. The second report will examine issues relevant to the second half of the class (the remaining six topics).
First, you will need to choose a company for your research project. Since you will need access to data on the company’s business operation and performance, it is recommended that you choose a publicly traded company for your study, which will allow you to get access to the companies’ multiple reports, including annual reports, financial statements, Global Reporting Initiatives reports, etc. for your research.
I have the assignment sheets for both reports available on D2L. Please take a look at both assignment sheets to have an idea of what you will need to do for your research project. This will help you in identifying the focal company for your research. Please feel free to contact the professor if you have questions in choosing a company for your project.
==========================================
Report 2 requirements:
For the second report, you will examine the focal company’s IS management strategy. The questions below tie directly to topics 7 to 12.
Task: Use knowledge and materials we have covered this semester to write a report (around 2000 words, not including reference list) to assess a company’s current IT/IS management strategy and recommend a way forward for the company with IT/IS. The targeted audience of your report is the general business audience.
For your research, you could examine the company’s publicly available information (website, last 3 years of annual reports, 10-K reports, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reports etc.). You could search these reports using the search terms such as IT, Information Technology, Information Systems, etc.
The report MUST include the following sections, each section will address the questions listed below:
1) Current IT/IS infrastructure and strategic plan (Topic 7): (10 points)
· What is the company’s IT strategic vision? Generally, what is your perception of the company’s view of IS/IT in enabling its business operation and competition? E.g. Does IS/IT play a more supporting role? Or does IS/IT play a more strategic driving role? Does the company see IT as a competitive necessity, or a competitive advantage?
· Examine the companies’ report to find some examples of IT-enabled initiatives. Discuss how they are related to the companies’ overarching IT vision.
2) IT/IS budget, IT-enabled initiatives, and IT Impacts (Topic 8): (15 po.
Acquity Group is a business process and technology consulting firm. We are and end to end provider of strategy, process and technology solutions. This deck highlights our key competencies around IT Strategy, IT Governance & IT Operations
Cloud computing is a major part of lives of many people already. Services such as Google Maps, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Hotmail and Apple iTunes are taken for granted as convenient and simple ways to use sophisticated systems of computer. Services of cloud computing can be used to deliver a wide services range to users and have been in practice for many years.
This report analyzes the situation and identifies the elements of the business model that cloud computing as a new opportunity could transform, describes the concept of business that draws the vision of the strategic objectives and goals, and the principle that should direct this transformation. Further, report aims at detailing the strategy to implement the vision, and explains what is involved in business transformation model to realize an envision future by using a dynamic model of Managemnet Assignment help.
Slides from my session on Chapter four of the NTEN book "Managing technology to Meet Your Mission". This is advise on how to frame IT planning in an organization and strategies for tight-resourced orgs to make creative investments and get the most out of them.
17 Must-Do's to Create a Product-Centric IT OrganizationCognizant
Tightening IT-business alignment and embracing Agile, DevOps and Lean Startup principles, while transcending traditional project management disciplines by incorporating product engineering rigor, are critical to creating an effective, digitally enhanced business.
Digital Transformation Toolkit - Framework, Best Practices and TemplatesAurelien Domont, MBA
This Digital Transformation Toolkit was created by ex-McKinsey, Deloitte and BCG Management Consultants, after more than 3,000 hours of work. It is considered the world's best & most comprehensive Digital Transformation Toolkit. It includes all the Frameworks, Tools & Templates required to successfully undertake the Digital Transformation of your organization.This Slideshare Powerpoint presentation is only a small preview of our Toolkit. You can download the entire Toolkit in Powerpoint and Excel at www.slidebooks.com
Enterprise Agile release planning is complicated when multiple agile teams work together to deliver combined capabilities, and the scope for a release span across multiple business functions, processes, and systems. This paper presents agile release planning models for large global organizations delivering business capabilities using IT projects.
Turning your Excel Business Process Workflows into an Automated Business Inte...OAUGNJ
Many organizations have evolved key internal business processes built on top of Microsoft Excel. These cross-functional workflows involve several organizational units responsible for collecting business system transactions, modifying this raw data, consolidating, transforming, pivoting and preparing data into a published set of Reports & Graphs – all in MS Excel. Such workflows are a burden to organizations – not repeatable, costly, time-consuming, inflexible and hard to scale, and evolve to become more complex over time. Business critical processes such as financial analysis, operational analysis and revenue analysis are often supported this way. Attempting to replace such systems can be quite daunting and a barrier to replace. The goal of this session is to present an easy to understand methodology and use cases to demonstrate how to move from an operational workflow in Excel to truly automated Business Intelligence.
This week Chris Garber was at the EXL LifePRO conference in Naples FL presenting "How to Win Friends and Save Money". The presentation talks about how companies can improve efficiency by 40%+ using process improvement, technology, and data solutions.
“How to win friends and save money”
Improve your efficiency by 40%+ using process improvement, technology, and data solutions.
The competitive landscape, economic environment, and information technology continue to show up on top of the major challenges life insurers will face in the coming years. EXL Consulting will demonstrate that with process improvement, technology, and data solutions you can not only survive, but thrive, in this ever changing environment.
Key topics include:
1) Streamlining processes and improving turnaround time
2) Enhancing staff productivity while reducing errors
3) Improving pricing and customer insights with data federation
4) Modernizing legacy systems
5) Enabling customer self-services and mobile
Business Education pack strategy on a pageAndy Parkins
Defining a simple and effective strategy to drive business value is critical for any organization. Being able to deliver this product on a single page that has the finger prints of your key stakeholders all over it is easier done than said
IT can help pave the way for a Customer Service transformation.
Your Challenge
Customer expectations regarding service are rapidly evolving. As your current IT systems may be viewed as ineffective at delivering upon these expectations, a transformation is called for.
It is unclear whether IT has the system architecture/infrastructure to support modern Customer Service channels and technologies.
The relationship between Customer Service and IT is strained. Strategic system-related decisions are being made without the inclusions of IT, and IT is only engaged post-purchase to address integration or issues as they arise.
Scope: An ABPM-centric approach is taken to model the desired future state, and retrospectively look into the current state to derive gaps and sequential requirements. The requirements are bundled into logical IT initiatives to be plotted on a roadmap and strategy document.
Challenge: The extent to which business processes can be mapped down to task-based Level 5 can be challenging depending on the maturity of the organization.
Pain/Risk: The health of the relationship between IT and Customer Service may determine project viability. Poor collaboration and execution may strain the relationship further.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
When transformation is called for, start with future state visioning. Current state analysis can impede your ability to see future needs and possibilities.
Solve your own problems by enhancing core or “traditional” Customer Service functionality first, and then move on to more ambitious business enabling functionality.
The more rapidly businesses can launch applications in today’s market, the better positioned they are to improve customer experience and reap the associated benefits. Ensure that technology is implemented with a solid strategy to support the initiative.
Impact and Result
The right technology is established to support current and future Customer Service needs.
Streamlined and optimized Customer Service processes that drive efficiency and improve Customer Service quality are established.
The IT and Customer Service functions are both transformed from a cost center into a competitive advantage.
Making IT Work for Your Business - 4 Key Concepts to Get the Most Out of Your...Audrey Reynolds
Learn key tools, processes and best practices from the Business Analyst toolbox that you can use to make better technology decisions and manage your IT projects effectively.
1. 1250 Words (min) - 1450 Words (max), Bibliography and Titles no.docxkarisariddell
1. 1250 Words (min) - 1450 Words (max), Bibliography and Titles not counted.
2. It is a comparison essay.
3. 3+ outside academic sources (blogs, wikis, pop websites are permitted, but do not count for these 3 scholarly sources). Sources should be good journal articles or academic books.
4. Avoid Google. For academic articles, search https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/research/articles-databases Links to an external site.
Writing Tips:
—MLA or APA format required: quotes and paraphrasing need page numbers APA: (Smith, 2000, p. 235). MLA (Smith 235). Quotes are best. Avoid footnotes in any form, or the Chicago style of citation.
—State your thesis at the end of Paragraph 1 -- what will you claim?--Include a copy of small image as an Appendix after your Works Cited, if you analyze an ad or other visual item you want me to see (if I haven't likely seen it).
"Quote" if you can. Paraphrase secondarily. Introduce/integrate quotes. As Smith suggests, “Ads are a system...” that can “educate us...” (Smith, 2005, p. 5)
Quotes cannot stand alone.
Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence and address that topic. The topic sentence tells readers what the topic is. For example: “Historically, ads were outdoors...” OR you can use a question “How did we move from a needs society to a wants society?...”
Use transitions between paragraphs. “But Farnsworth was not only the creator of TV, he also…”
Block quotes (more than 3 full lines) should NOT be used, or only in rare cases when you cannot summarize the gist, and almost never in short papers.
Topic:
DIGITAL MEDIA. Select 1 Historical or Current Example of Social Media being blamed for a social problem (ex: the cyber bullying of Amanda Todd), and 1 Example of Social Media being credited with improving life (ex: social movements). (See Chapter 2). Many people who examine ‘social media’ (such as Facebook and Twitter) say that these tools distract us from the important things in life. Similar things were said about television, and telephones, and the radio, and even of writing. Any communication technology can be used in a variety of ways, depending on who has access to them, and how creative they are. In your Compare and Contrast Essay, discuss one case or way in which social media get blamed for negative events or outcomes (loneliness, competitiveness, bullying, boasting, narcissism). Compare this side with the positive things people accomplish with social media (MeToo, BLM, organizing events, socializing, reading the day’s news). Give specific examples, and support your claims with research. You may also mention your own experiences, if relevant. For the negative side, a case study may be wise: the Grossman cyber bullying case, for example, or the BC politician who lost an election due to an old Facebook photo. Or you could identify a common criticism of social media, and explore it. For example: Are social media affecting news and political views based on this news today negatively? Examples.
1-Why is it the case that single men are prominently represented in .docxkarisariddell
1-Why is it the case that single men are prominently represented in the homeless? Is there a primary prevention program that could be a part of a public health initiative that would address this cohort specifically?
2- APA Style
3- 3 paragraphs 3 sentences each
4- 2 references
.
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This week Chris Garber was at the EXL LifePRO conference in Naples FL presenting "How to Win Friends and Save Money". The presentation talks about how companies can improve efficiency by 40%+ using process improvement, technology, and data solutions.
“How to win friends and save money”
Improve your efficiency by 40%+ using process improvement, technology, and data solutions.
The competitive landscape, economic environment, and information technology continue to show up on top of the major challenges life insurers will face in the coming years. EXL Consulting will demonstrate that with process improvement, technology, and data solutions you can not only survive, but thrive, in this ever changing environment.
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1) Streamlining processes and improving turnaround time
2) Enhancing staff productivity while reducing errors
3) Improving pricing and customer insights with data federation
4) Modernizing legacy systems
5) Enabling customer self-services and mobile
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Defining a simple and effective strategy to drive business value is critical for any organization. Being able to deliver this product on a single page that has the finger prints of your key stakeholders all over it is easier done than said
IT can help pave the way for a Customer Service transformation.
Your Challenge
Customer expectations regarding service are rapidly evolving. As your current IT systems may be viewed as ineffective at delivering upon these expectations, a transformation is called for.
It is unclear whether IT has the system architecture/infrastructure to support modern Customer Service channels and technologies.
The relationship between Customer Service and IT is strained. Strategic system-related decisions are being made without the inclusions of IT, and IT is only engaged post-purchase to address integration or issues as they arise.
Scope: An ABPM-centric approach is taken to model the desired future state, and retrospectively look into the current state to derive gaps and sequential requirements. The requirements are bundled into logical IT initiatives to be plotted on a roadmap and strategy document.
Challenge: The extent to which business processes can be mapped down to task-based Level 5 can be challenging depending on the maturity of the organization.
Pain/Risk: The health of the relationship between IT and Customer Service may determine project viability. Poor collaboration and execution may strain the relationship further.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
When transformation is called for, start with future state visioning. Current state analysis can impede your ability to see future needs and possibilities.
Solve your own problems by enhancing core or “traditional” Customer Service functionality first, and then move on to more ambitious business enabling functionality.
The more rapidly businesses can launch applications in today’s market, the better positioned they are to improve customer experience and reap the associated benefits. Ensure that technology is implemented with a solid strategy to support the initiative.
Impact and Result
The right technology is established to support current and future Customer Service needs.
Streamlined and optimized Customer Service processes that drive efficiency and improve Customer Service quality are established.
The IT and Customer Service functions are both transformed from a cost center into a competitive advantage.
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Similar to 1 ISM645 Strategic Information Technology Planning v1.1 .docx (20)
1. 1250 Words (min) - 1450 Words (max), Bibliography and Titles no.docxkarisariddell
1. 1250 Words (min) - 1450 Words (max), Bibliography and Titles not counted.
2. It is a comparison essay.
3. 3+ outside academic sources (blogs, wikis, pop websites are permitted, but do not count for these 3 scholarly sources). Sources should be good journal articles or academic books.
4. Avoid Google. For academic articles, search https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/research/articles-databases Links to an external site.
Writing Tips:
—MLA or APA format required: quotes and paraphrasing need page numbers APA: (Smith, 2000, p. 235). MLA (Smith 235). Quotes are best. Avoid footnotes in any form, or the Chicago style of citation.
—State your thesis at the end of Paragraph 1 -- what will you claim?--Include a copy of small image as an Appendix after your Works Cited, if you analyze an ad or other visual item you want me to see (if I haven't likely seen it).
"Quote" if you can. Paraphrase secondarily. Introduce/integrate quotes. As Smith suggests, “Ads are a system...” that can “educate us...” (Smith, 2005, p. 5)
Quotes cannot stand alone.
Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence and address that topic. The topic sentence tells readers what the topic is. For example: “Historically, ads were outdoors...” OR you can use a question “How did we move from a needs society to a wants society?...”
Use transitions between paragraphs. “But Farnsworth was not only the creator of TV, he also…”
Block quotes (more than 3 full lines) should NOT be used, or only in rare cases when you cannot summarize the gist, and almost never in short papers.
Topic:
DIGITAL MEDIA. Select 1 Historical or Current Example of Social Media being blamed for a social problem (ex: the cyber bullying of Amanda Todd), and 1 Example of Social Media being credited with improving life (ex: social movements). (See Chapter 2). Many people who examine ‘social media’ (such as Facebook and Twitter) say that these tools distract us from the important things in life. Similar things were said about television, and telephones, and the radio, and even of writing. Any communication technology can be used in a variety of ways, depending on who has access to them, and how creative they are. In your Compare and Contrast Essay, discuss one case or way in which social media get blamed for negative events or outcomes (loneliness, competitiveness, bullying, boasting, narcissism). Compare this side with the positive things people accomplish with social media (MeToo, BLM, organizing events, socializing, reading the day’s news). Give specific examples, and support your claims with research. You may also mention your own experiences, if relevant. For the negative side, a case study may be wise: the Grossman cyber bullying case, for example, or the BC politician who lost an election due to an old Facebook photo. Or you could identify a common criticism of social media, and explore it. For example: Are social media affecting news and political views based on this news today negatively? Examples.
1-Why is it the case that single men are prominently represented in .docxkarisariddell
1-Why is it the case that single men are prominently represented in the homeless? Is there a primary prevention program that could be a part of a public health initiative that would address this cohort specifically?
2- APA Style
3- 3 paragraphs 3 sentences each
4- 2 references
.
1-Think for a while about cultural practices and how they affect hea.docxkarisariddell
1-Think for a while about cultural practices and how they affect health or illness in your own family. They may be difficult to identify as such at first, but they do exist. What ideas about illness prevention does your family adhere to? What do you do when someone gets sick? What rituals does your family practice when someone dies?
2- APA style
3- 3 paragraphs 3 sentences each
4- 2 references
.
1-Holding everything else constant, an increase in the growth rate.docxkarisariddell
1-Holding everything else constant, an increase in the growth rate of the money supply will cause the AD curve to
not shift at all.
shift outward.
shift randomly.
shift inward.
2-In the AD-AS model, which curve would be irrelevant if prices and wages were perfectly flexible?
A. Long-Run Aggregate Supply
B. Long-Run Aggregate Demand
C. Short-Run Aggregate Supply
D. Aggregate Demand
3-An increase in the expected inflation rate will cause the LRAS curve to:
A. do nothing.
B. shift right.
C. flatten out.
D. shift left.
4-When consumers suddenly become more pessimistic about the economy, the stock shifts the:
A. LRAS curve outward, reducing the real growth rate in the short run.
B. AD curve inward, reducing the real growth rate in the short run.
C. AD curve outward, reducing the real growth rate in the short run.
D. LRAS curve inward, reducing the real growth rate in the short run.
5-Which of the following would cause the AD curve to shift to the left?
A. lower growth rate of output
B. decreased government purchases
C. higher government budget deficits
D. lower taxes
6-A temporary decrease in consumer spending causes:
A. a decrease in the economy's long-run potential growth rate
B. a decrease in velocity growth
C. an upward shift of the SRAS curve.
D. a decrease in money growth
7-Which of the following best describes the conditions of the Great Depression?
A. Real GDP growth was negative while inflation was very high.
B. Both real GDP growth and inflation were historically high.
C. Real GDP was high while inflation was negative.
D. Both real GDP growth and inflation were negative.
8- Menu costs are the costs associated with changing:
A. jobs.
B. wages.
C. prices.
D. expected inflation.
9-A temporary positive shock to spending growth will lead to an increase in:
A. output and inflation in the short run, but no change in either in the long run.
B. output in both the short and long run.
C. both inflation and output in the short run, but only output in the long run.
D. both inflation and output in the short run, but only inflation in the long run.
10- Which of the following describes the process through which a major decline in the stock market leads to a change in Aggregate Demand?
A. Banking panics lead to a removal of deposit insurance and a negative AD shock.
B. A stock market bubble bursts, and this leads to a negative supply shock.
C. Reductions in consumer wealth produce a negative AD shock.
D. Increase in net exports produce a negative AD shock.
11-
A. 10%
B. 4%
C. 7%
D. 3%
12-
A. 3%
B. 7%
C. 4%
D. 10%
13-
A. -0.5%
B. 6.5%
C. 7%
D. 3%
14-
A. 6.5%
B. -0.5%
C. 0.5%
D. 2%
15-
A. Workers increase their inflationary expectations so that the economy moves to point A.
B. Workers decrease their inflationary expectations so that the economy moves to point C.
C. Workers increase their inflationary expectations so that the economy moves to point C.
D. Workers decrease their inflationary expectations so that the economy moves to point .
1-Please write the difference and examples between coccus, bacillus,.docxkarisariddell
1-Please write the difference and examples between coccus, bacillus, and vibrio. 2-What is a Nosocomial or a Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI)? Please write three examples. 3-Why viruses are not considered living structures? 4-Who was Carolus Linnaeus? What was his best contribution to Microbiology? 5-What is a Microbiota? Why are they important in our body? 6-What is a Primary Infectious Disease? What is a Secondary Infectious Disease? Please write examples of both types of Primary and Secondary infectious diseases? 7-Why is still important the knowledge of Gram stain? Which dyes are used in this type of coloration? 8-Who was Dr. Edward Jenner? What was his best contribution to Medicine? 9-Acute Infection, Chronic Infection, and Latent Infection. Please define each of them, and please write examples of them. 10-What is Herd Immunity? How is it possible to increase it in our current Pandemic of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 infection)
.
1-2 paragraphs for each person. There are 6 people.Everett.docxkarisariddell
1-2 paragraphs for each person. There are 6 people.
Everett
Overall what occurred in 2015 following the information of Volkswagen cheating the consumers, the market, and the EPA was fairly little in the grand scheme of things. The background surrounding Volkswagen essentially getting away with mass pollution and hoodwinking the industry for years is that a defeat device was installed within the vehicle’s engine that programmed it to run in a cleaner mode when hooked up to a test (Poeir, 2020). This obviously did not restrict the vehicle when performing on an open road. The device was eventually discovered and Volkswagen was billed for 25 billion dollars (Poier, 2020). However, the market share gained from this deception may have been worth it, as the vehicles outperformed all other competition in power and fuel economy that it resulted in the vehicles being ranked top in their respective classes that year (Poier, 2020).
However, what might Volkswagen do now to build back some of the trust within the corporate world? How can they redeem themselves economically? The first step arguably is to regain the trust of their shareholders and instill a set of ethics the likes of which cannot be questioned. Obviously, a drop in stock price is bad news, however, the company is by no means insolvent, and they quickly recovered following the incident. However ethics the company needs to advertise and explain to investors and to staff some sort of new ethical guidance that can convince people to purchase their products once again.
In regards to recovering legally, there’s been a fairly limited number of lawsuits, there were several major ones, however between the payouts of that and the fines levied against them from the EPA and other countries they seem to have paid the piper, the best way to address the issue legally and ethically would be to launch a voluntary recall in which people with the defeat devices may receive an upgrade at no cost to themselves. This would also address the philanthropic needs of the company. Additionally, many companies devote a sum of their profits to things that seem counter to their product, Coke for example sponsors huge numbers of athletic programs for children. Volkswagen may consider doing the same but planting some sort of forest to help deal with the carbon footprint. While I’m not the most creative individual in the world, it seems that there is any number of philanthropic things the company could do to earn them a “Subaru-Esque” reputation in the industry.
Andrea
The Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal has been widely covered. The corporation used a "defeat device" to fool an emissions government test (Jacobs & Kalbers, 2019). There have been major ethical concerns and significant environmental & financial consequences due to the device's release. The scandal has managed to ruin the reputation of Volkswagon. The image of the environmental friendly business has been destroyed. The vehicles had to be .
1-2 paragraphsapa formatreferencesneed in 8 hours!.docxkarisariddell
1-2 paragraphs
apa format
references
need in 8 hours!
Select one moral philosophy (teleology, deontology, relativist perspective, virtue ethics, or justice) that has influenced the outcome of an ethical dilemma that you have witnessed.
Provide one example of the way in which this moral philosophy influenced the outcome of an ethical dilemma in a past or present organization.
Note
: Please do not identify workplaces or leaders by name.
.
1. A In your viewpoint, what are the Humanities Formulate a de.docxkarisariddell
1. A:
In your viewpoint, what are the Humanities
? Formulate a definition of the Humanities.
B:
What is the relationship between Humanities and be nurse
?
This can be answer in one paragraph with 6 sentence.
2- What is the contribution of Philosophy to Humanities and humanity? Please explain by writing a well-developed paragraph of at least five sentences.
.
1-2 PAGESIdentify an ethical consideration besides establishin.docxkarisariddell
1-2 PAGES
Identify an ethical consideration besides establishing culturally relevant efforts that are consistent with recognizing that primary prevention is an act of premeditated intrusion into the lives and setting of individuals and groups and ask a question about this ethical consideration.
Suggest an additional mechanism or strategy to increase culturally relevant prevention programming and planning with African American teenagers, ages 13 through 21, spreading sexually transmitted infections.
Provide your colleague with feedback about how prevention as an act of premeditated intrusion into the lives and setting of individuals and groups on Diversity and Ethical Considerations could help bring about positive social change.
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Hage, S., & Romano, J. L. (2013). Best practices in prevention. In R. K. Conyne & A. M. Horne (Eds.). Prevention practice kit: Action guides for mental health professionals (pp. 32-46). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Vera, E. M., & Kenny, M. E. (2013). Social justice and culturally relevant prevention. In R. K. Conyne & A. M. Horne (Eds.). Prevention practice kit: Action guides for mental health professionals (pp. 1-59). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
American Counseling Association (2014). 2014 ACA Code of Ethics. Retrieved from https://www.counseling.org/Resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (2018). How healthy is your community? Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/.
Required Media
Walden Scholars of Change (2016). Giving incarcerated women a second chance. https://www.waldenu.edu/connect/video-and-multimedia/social-change/scholars-of-change/2016-winners/giving-incarcerated-women-a-second-chance
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
.
1-2 page single spaced pages in 12-point font. Reference Listed.docxkarisariddell
1-2 page single spaced pages in 12-point font.
Reference: Listed at the top of the paper in APA style.
INTRODUCTION should contain:
* A thorough literature review that establishes the nature of the problem to be addressed in the present study(the literature review is specific to the problem)
*The literature review is current (within 5 years)
A logical sequence from what we know (the literature review) to what we don't know (the unanswered questions raised by the review and what this study intended to answer)
* the purpose of the present study
*the hypothesis/research questions
*State the overall purpose of the paper
*What new ideas or info were communicated in the paper
*Why was it important to publish these ideas?
METHODS. The methods section has three subsections. It should contain:
* The participants and population they intended to represent
* The number of participants and how they were selected
*A description of the tools/measures used and research design employed
RESULTS: The results should contain a thorough summary of results of all analyses
DISCUSSION: The discussion is where the author "wraps up the research."
* A simple and easy to understand summary of what was found.
.
1-2 page typed (double space) research and reflection essay on a mus.docxkarisariddell
1-2 page typed (double space) research and reflection essay on a musical group or artist that reflects some of our class themes, such as Race, Ethnicity, Counter-narrative, Social Justice, and Power. Include your personal opinion and reflection on your chosen musical group or artist. What is one of your favorite songs or a song that resonates with you in connection with some of our class themes? Include the lyrics of the song! (lyrics are not counted for the 1-2 pages)
.
1. The law of demand implies that sellers will offer .docxkarisariddell
1. The law of demand implies that:
sellers will offer less on the market at lower prices.
consumers will buy more at lower prices.
sellers will offer more on the market at higher prices.
consumers are not responsive to price changes.
2. An increase in the demand for gasoline today caused by concerns that gasoline prices will be
higher tomorrow is most likely attributable to a change in:
consumer preferences.
consumer expectations.
income.
prices of other goods.
3. If the price of hamburger decreased, it would probably result in _____ in the demand for
hamburger buns.
random fluctuations
no change
an increase
a decrease
4. A decrease in supply is caused by:
an advancement in the technology for producing the good.
an increase in the price of goods that are used in production.
an increase in the number of producers.
suppliers' expectations of lower prices in the future.
5. Figure: The Demand and Supply of Wheat
Reference: Ref 3-6
(Figure: The Demand and Supply of Wheat) Look at the figure The Demand and Supply of
Wheat. If a price of $8 temporarily exists in this market, a _____ of _____ bushels will
result.
surplus; 6,000
surplus; 4,000
shortage; 2,000
shortage; 4,000
6. If the market for buffalo meat is in equilibrium, the price of buffalo meat will probably
_____ in the near future.
decrease
increase considerably
increase
not change
7. Figure: Four Markets for DVDs
Reference: Ref 3-9
(Figure: Four Markets for DVDs) Look at the figure Four Markets for DVDs. Which of the
graphs illustrates what may happen in the market for DVDs if D1 or S1 is the original curve
and D2 or S2 is the new curve and if the cost of producing DVDs falls?
C
D
A
B
8. Figure: Shifts in Demand and Supply II
Reference: Ref 3-11
(Figure: Shifts in Demand and Supply II) Look at the figure Shifts in Demand and Supply II.
The graph shows how supply and demand might shift in response to specific events. Suppose
scientists discover that eating pomegranates causes aging. Which panel BEST describes how
this will affect the market for pomegranates?
panel C
panel B
panel D
panel A
9. Figure: Shifts in Demand and Supply III
Reference: Ref 3-12
(Figure: Shifts in Demand and Supply III) Look at the figure Shifts in Demand and Supply
III. The figure shows how supply and demand might shift in response to specific events.
Suppose consumer incomes increase. Which panel BEST describes how this will affect the
market for designer boots, a normal good?
panel B
panel C
panel A
panel D
10. For consumers, pizza and hamburgers are substitutes. A rise in the price of a pizza causes
_____ in the equilibrium price of a hamburger and _____ in the equilibrium quantity of
hamburgers.
a rise; a decrease
a fall; an increase
a rise; an increase
a fall; a decrease .
1-2 page critique of the film after selecting a character in the mov.docxkarisariddell
1-2 page critique of the film after selecting a character in the movie (main character most of the time) and completing a diagnostic impression as it best reflects the character’s clinical syndrome and how the character(s) meets the diagnostic criteria for the particular disorder(s).
Main Character: Ben Sanderson
**** Use the DSM-5 to develop the character impression. Provide your opinion with supporting details from the movie and the DMS-V. Share your overall critique of the movie. Share your overall critique o the movie
.
1. Which of the following changes will result in a shift of the agg.docxkarisariddell
1. Which of the following changes will result in a shift of the aggregate demand curve, and which will result in a movement along the curve? If there is a shift, or a movement, be sure to explain in which direction, and why (either up or down, or, right or left). 1 pt each
a. The Fed lowers interest rates.
b. The price level in the economy falls.
c. Wealth decreases.
d. A foreign trading partner’s national income increases.
2. With a two panel diagram –one panel showing the aggregate expenditure diagram, and the other showing the AD curve – show how a decrease consumption shifts the AD curve.
2 pts
3. What will happen to the aggregate supply curve if the price of foreign oil decreases? Will it cause a movement along the curve or a shift of the curve? Explain clearly. 2 pts
4. Is there any difference between the aggregate demand curve and the demand curve for good x? Explain .
.
1-2 page critique of the film after analyzing the main character (Jo.docxkarisariddell
1-2 page critique of the film after analyzing the main character (Jones) and completing a diagnostic impression as it best reflects the character’s clinical syndrome and how the character meets the diagnostic criteria for the particular disorder(s).
**** Use the DSM-5 to develop the character impression. Provide your opinion with supporting details from the movie and the DMS-V. Share your overall critique of the movie. Share your overall critique o the movie.
.
1. John, a 15 year old who loves skateboarding, wants to buy th.docxkarisariddell
1. John, a 15 year old who loves skateboarding, wants to buy the new hyped magenta 3000 skateboard. He finds the last one on-line at his local sports store. He uses his debit card to purchase the board and the $500 is taken directly from his bank account. In order to avoid a delivery fee, he selects “pick up” as his shipping option.
When he arrives at the store to pick up the skateboard, the manager tells him he has canceled the transaction because another customer has promised to pay $600 for the board. John offers to pay an additional $150 for the skateboard and the manager agrees. John pays the $150 by credit card and takes the board. As soon as John gets home, he calls the credit card company and cancels the transaction.
The store sues John for the $150 or the return of the skateboard. What result?
A. The store will win. John has to return the skateboard because he is a minor without the capacity to contract.
B. John will win. There was no consideration given in exchange for John’s payment of the $150.
C. The store will win under the doctrine of promissory estoppel.
D. The store will win because the store’s website did not create a valid offer.
B. John will win. There was no consideration given in exchange for John’s payment of the $150.
2. Rob, an elderly man, is dependent on his housekeeper, Larry, to care for him. Larry persuades Rob to withdraw $100,000 from the bank and make an interest free loan to him. Rob’s daughter, Erica, sues Larry on behalf of her father to avoid the transaction. Erica’s best claim is:
A. Unilateral mistake.
B. Undue Influence
C. Economic duress
D. Misrepresentation
B. Undue influence
3. Elise took out an ad in the newspaper to sell her car, fully described, for $17,000. Franklin saw the ad and called Elise, saying that he would like to see the car. Franklin met Elise, drove the car and said, “Okay, I’ll buy it.” Which of the following is true?
A. Elise made an offer, which Franklin accepted.
B. Franklin made an offer, which Elise may accept or reject.
C. Elise made an offer which Franklin may accept or reject.
D. Franklin made an offer, which Elise accepted.
B. Franklin made an offer, which Elise may accept or reject.
4. Colleen sold a house to Ben for $300,000. Before selling the house, Colleen forgot to tell Ben about a leaky faucet in a little-used sink in the basement, which would cost about $30 to fix. Ben inspected the house, but didn’t notice the faucet. Later, Ben tries to rescind the deal on the grounds of fraud or misrepresentation because of the leaky faucet. Which of the following is the best reason why Ben cannot rescind?
A. Because Colleen made no statement about the faucet.
B. Because Ben did not rely on any false statement
C. Because the condition of the faucet is not material to the contract.
D. Because Colleen did not conceal the condition of the faucet.
C. Because the condition of the faucet is not material to the contract
5. Ana, a 19-year-old immig.
1-Read and print the data from the brain.csv file2-Extraxt t.docxkarisariddell
1-Read and print the data from the brain.csv file
2-Extraxt the HeadSzie and the BrainWeight into separate arrays (print as column vectors)
3- Find the average, max, and min values for the 2 data columns.
4- Plot the head size verses the brain weight
Please find the attachment for brain.csv file
.
1. Duncan Fisher (2019, march). Children of Divorce The Key Rol.docxkarisariddell
1. Duncan Fisher (2019, march). Children of Divorce: The Key Role of Self-Esteem in Recovering from The Trauma.
https://www.childandfamilyblog.com/child-development/children-of-divorce-self-esteem/
2. Hal Arkowitz, Scott O. Lilienfeld (2013, March 1). Is Divorce Bad for Children?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-divorce-bad-for-children/
3. Judith S. Wallerstein (1989, Jan 22). CHILDREN AFTER DIVORCE.
https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/22/magazine/children-after-divorce.html
4. Patrick F. Fagan and Aaron Churchill (2012, January 11). The Effects of Divorce on Children.
https://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF12A22.pdf
5. Wendy Paris (2015, March 17). Yes, You Can Raise Happy Children After Divorce.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/splitopia/201503/yes-you-can-raise-happy-children-after-divorce
Rashmitha Anugu
Discussion 7
7 hours ago
Q1. What should Mark have done if Jack still was not able to resolve the problem?
McRoy Aerospace was into building freight planes and refueling tankers. Be that as it may, they needed to contend in a market of building business airplane. McRoy could be an effective rival in the matter of assembling business airplane on the off chance that they could discover an answer for the issue of having a instrument for every one of the four sets of entryways in the airplane.
Jack has been an accomplished specialist and most important asset for McRoy Aerospace, and Mark was persuaded that Jack was the one in particular who could discover an answer for the issue. Mark depended excessively on one representative, which is constantly dangerous and is never suggested while rivaling organizations like Boeing and Airbus. In the event that Jack couldn't think of an answer, Mark could direct or an open test where workers and ongoing alumni can take an interest and take care of the issue independently.
Q2. Would it make sense for Mark to assign this problem to someone else now after Jack could not solve the problem the second time around?
In the wake of giving Jack adequate time, depending on him, and pushing him to concoct an answer, it looks bad to drive Jack further, and it would be a smart thought to relegate this issue to another person. While rivaling solid contenders like Boeing, it's better not to depend on one worker. Mark should locate some other official with exceptional and hands-on understanding, who is happy to respond to the call and is certain to think of an answer.
References
Kerzner, Harold. (2013) Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling, John Wiley & Sons. 14-600. Newyork, NY.
Thomaz, J. (2014). Knowledge Management on PMO’s Perspective: A Systematic Review. European Conference on Knowledge Management, 1, 233.
Jeevan Manda
Discussion 7
5 days ago
1 reply
Last 3 days ago
What should Mark have done if Jack still was not able to resolve the problem?
Mark has an extensive measure of want on Jack. He figured Jack would think about a blueprint for using all.
1. When Thomas Paine writes about reconciliation, he is referring .docxkarisariddell
1. When Thomas Paine writes about reconciliation, he is referring to (1 point)
the southern Colonies staying peacefully connected to the northern Colonies.
the Colonies staying peacefully connected with Great Britain.
the Colonists staying peacefully connected to Native Americans.
Great Britain staying peacefully connected with Europe.
2. Which of the following statements about Common Sense is NOT true? (1 point)
Common Sense was written the same year as the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense to persuade colonists to fight for independence.
The printing press enabled the wide circulation of Common Sense.
Thomas Paine was hanged for treason after writing Common Sense.
3. Thomas Paine believed America should be (1 point)
an asylum, a safe place, for all people.
a British colony.
a continent of many nations.
a city on a hill.
Asylum is a word with multiple meanings. Read the following sentence from Common Sense.
“This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious livery from every part of Europe.”
4. In this context, does asylum have a positive or negative connotation? (1 point)
positive
negative
5. Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense to (1 point)
Revolutionary War soldiers.
colonists in 1776, prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
the British monarchy.
women seeking the right to vote.
.
1-This discussion question is based on pp. 135-158 ofThe E.docxkarisariddell
1-
This discussion question is based on pp. 135-158 of
The Essential Theater, 10th ed.
, by Oscar G. Brockett and Robert J. Ball.
Topics you should know before answering this question:
1. Neoclassical rules of theater in France (pp. 123-124)
2. The rebellion against neoclassicism and the appreciation of Shakespeare (pp. 136-138)
3. Sturm and Drang movement in Germany (pg. 136)
4. The connection between Romanticism and melodrama (pp. 139-146)
5. Realism and Heinrick Ibsen (pp. 146-158)
6. Realism in acting (Stanislavsky) (pp. 158-160)
Describe the differences between the Romantic movement and the Realism movement in theater. Give specific details and use plays discussed in your book and class as examples. Finally, describe which kind of play you would be more likely to go see and why.
2-
This discussion question is based on pp. 161-250 of
The Essential Theater, 10th ed.
, by Oscar G. Brockett and Robert J. Ball.
Topics you should know before answering this question:
1. Psychological Realism in American theater (pp. 183-188)
2. Stanislavsky method of acting (pp. 175-178)
3. African American theater (pp. 224-228)
4. Latino theater (pp.229-233)
5.
A Raisin in the Sun, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,
and
Lydia
Compare African American Theater, Latin Theater and Asian-American theater. How are these traditions similar? How are they different? Be specific. Use the names of playwrights and/or their work.
3-
This discussion question is based on pp. 135-158 of
The Essential Theater, 10th ed.
, by Oscar G. Brockett and Robert J. Ball.
Heinrich Ibsen's
A Doll's House
ends with Nora Helmer leaving her husband and children for the purpose of finding out who she is outside the tight confines of her marriage. This ending shocked 19th century audiences, and the play was often changed to have Nora remain with her family. In some places, like Britain,
A Doll's House
was simply banned outright.
In your opinion, what purpose was served by having
A Doll's House
censored, either by being rewritten or banned? Is censorship of a theatrical or cinematic work ever permissible? If so, under what conditions? If not, why not? Explain your position as clearly and thoroughly as you can and defend it against people who might disagree with you.
.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
The Roman Empire A Historical Colossus.pdfkaushalkr1407
The Roman Empire, a vast and enduring power, stands as one of history's most remarkable civilizations, leaving an indelible imprint on the world. It emerged from the Roman Republic, transitioning into an imperial powerhouse under the leadership of Augustus Caesar in 27 BCE. This transformation marked the beginning of an era defined by unprecedented territorial expansion, architectural marvels, and profound cultural influence.
The empire's roots lie in the city of Rome, founded, according to legend, by Romulus in 753 BCE. Over centuries, Rome evolved from a small settlement to a formidable republic, characterized by a complex political system with elected officials and checks on power. However, internal strife, class conflicts, and military ambitions paved the way for the end of the Republic. Julius Caesar’s dictatorship and subsequent assassination in 44 BCE created a power vacuum, leading to a civil war. Octavian, later Augustus, emerged victorious, heralding the Roman Empire’s birth.
Under Augustus, the empire experienced the Pax Romana, a 200-year period of relative peace and stability. Augustus reformed the military, established efficient administrative systems, and initiated grand construction projects. The empire's borders expanded, encompassing territories from Britain to Egypt and from Spain to the Euphrates. Roman legions, renowned for their discipline and engineering prowess, secured and maintained these vast territories, building roads, fortifications, and cities that facilitated control and integration.
The Roman Empire’s society was hierarchical, with a rigid class system. At the top were the patricians, wealthy elites who held significant political power. Below them were the plebeians, free citizens with limited political influence, and the vast numbers of slaves who formed the backbone of the economy. The family unit was central, governed by the paterfamilias, the male head who held absolute authority.
Culturally, the Romans were eclectic, absorbing and adapting elements from the civilizations they encountered, particularly the Greeks. Roman art, literature, and philosophy reflected this synthesis, creating a rich cultural tapestry. Latin, the Roman language, became the lingua franca of the Western world, influencing numerous modern languages.
Roman architecture and engineering achievements were monumental. They perfected the arch, vault, and dome, constructing enduring structures like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and aqueducts. These engineering marvels not only showcased Roman ingenuity but also served practical purposes, from public entertainment to water supply.
How to Create Map Views in the Odoo 17 ERPCeline George
The map views are useful for providing a geographical representation of data. They allow users to visualize and analyze the data in a more intuitive manner.
Palestine last event orientationfvgnh .pptxRaedMohamed3
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1 ISM645 Strategic Information Technology Planning v1.1 .docx
1. 1
ISM645 Strategic Information Technology Planning v1.1
ISM645 Information Technology Strategic Plan
Template
V1.8
Introduction: How to Use This Tool
This template is developed for small and mid-sized enterprises
(SMEs) that do not have the
resources to perform full IT governance to develop a complex
IT strategy. This tool provides an
outline that allows CIOs to develop a simple, yet effective IT
strategic plan.
Complete all the sections, using the instructions provided. Each
section contains an example that
can be removed once the document is complete.
[Insert Company Name] IT Strategic Plan
Author: [Insert Name]
Created on: [Insert Date]
Last Modified on: [Insert Date]
Executive Introduction (Summary) & Thesis Statement
2. Introduce the IT Strategic Plan. Give a summary of what is in
the document. The Execuvtive
Summary should be a 30 second read and give a clear
understanding of what is in the document.
In the last paragraph, include a thesis statement.
Example: This IT Strategic Plan lays out the one, two, and three
year plans for MarkO Ltd, with
regards to IT Areas of Applications Development, Networking,
Operating Systems, Databases,
Organization, and Hardware; and the ability for this plan to
support the business initiatives of the
company.
Strategic IT Mission, IT Vision, and Horizon Statements
Include the IT Mission and IT Vision Statement here. Also,
specify the time periods to which this
plan pertains.
Example:
“The mission of this company is to …..”
“This Company will be the ….”
“This plan is expected to cover the period from 01/Sept/2013 to
31/Aug/2015, with strategic plans
for each year noted.”
Purpose of Plan
Indicate the reason for creating this IT strategic plan. Specify
what the plan will accomplish.
3. 2
ISM645 Strategic Information Technology Planning v1.1
Example:
The purpose of this plan is to help our company achieve its IT
Strategy. It is meant as a guide to
decision making in IT. Incoming tasks to IT will be prioritized
and executed (as much as possible)
using this plan as a guide. While exceptions may occur, they
should be exceptions, not the
everyday rule.
Corporate Strategy
Describe the strategy of the enterprise. Obtain this information
from the CEO or a publication
from top executives.
Example:
Our business strategy is to retain existing customers through
continuing to improve our existing
product line as well as gain new customers though aggressive
marketing campaigns. We may
also expand the spending of our existing customers by
developing other related product lines.
4. Business Initiatives to Support Corporate Strategy
List the business initiatives that are planned for the period that
will support the business strategy.
Example:
Strategy Name Business Initiative Target Completion
Date
Expected
Impact
Retain Existing
Customers
Loyalty Campaign Q1 +10%
Renewal
Rate
Mail Out Satisfaction Survey Q3 + 1%
Renewal
Rate
“10% Off New Purchase”
Campaign
Q3 + $1M
Expanded
Revenue
Gain New Customers Expand into Asia Q2 + $10M
3
5. ISM645 Strategic Information Technology Planning v1.1
New
Revenue
Divide Existing Sales
Territories
Q3 + $1M
New
Revenue
Expand Current
Customer Spending
Develop Related Product X Q4 + $5
Expanded
Revenue
Strategy Name Business Initiative Target
Completion Date
Expected
Impact
IT Strategy
Briefly describe your IT strategy. The IT strategy should have
the business strategy as its basis.
Spend at least a paragraph on each element below stating your
IT Strategy:
Questions to consider:
6. • What kind and style of Organizataion will carry out the IT
Strategy?
• What is the organization’s operational profile?
• What is the organization’s risk profile?
• Is the organization cost conscious?
• Is IT development or purchase focused?
Your strategy should address the following IT categories:
• Application development
• Hardware and infrastructure acquisition
• Data center builds and adjustments
• Security
• Compliance and governance
• Networks
• Data (Including Databases, Data Warehouses, Data sources
and Big Data)
Example:
To enable our corporate strategy, our IT Strategy is to assist our
marketing campaigns by
enhancing our toolset in order to derive insight on brand and
product performance by market
segment and geography. Additionally, we will strengthen our
product development support
structure by automating product production capabilities.
7. 4
ISM645 Strategic Information Technology Planning v1.1
IT Strategic Plan to Support Business Initiatives
List the IT systems that are required to support the planned
business initiatives. Ensure to include
any necessary notes.
Example:
Business
Initiative
IT System
Required
Year(s) this
project will
take place
Ball Park Estimates
Time Resources Cost Approved
Loyalty
Campaign
E-mail
Distribution
System
2014 n/a n/a n/a Yes
Mail Out
9. Reporting
System
2014-2016
(See note 3)
200
days
2 FTE $10,000 Yes
Expand into
Asia
Servers,
Workstation
s
2016 40
days
3 FTE $50,000 Yes
Develop
Related
Product X
Product X 2016 200
days
10 FTE $100,000 Yes
Related Notes:
10. 1. Survey Capable. Our current e-mail distribution system is not
capable of handling in-line
survey questions. We will need to add support for this
capability. We are assuming we
will go with the simplest solution (link to a survey Web page)
and will create our own
survey instead of purchasing a survey package.
2. Coupon Capable. Our current e-mail distribution system is
not capable of handling
attachments or coupons. We will need to add support for this
capability. We are
assuming we will go with the simplest solution (embedding the
coupon in the e-mail).
3. The new Campaign Reporting system will consist of the
following project components:
a. Define brand/product performance metrics
b. Develop data warehouse architecture
c. Design/build data warehouse/data marts
d. Design/build ETL mechanisms
e. Design/build dashboards, queries, and reports
Business
Initiative
IT System
or
Initiative
Required
Year(s) this
project will
take place
11. Ball Park Estimates
Time
(# Days)
Resources
(# FTE)
Cost
($)
Approved
(Y/N)
5
ISM645 Strategic Information Technology Planning v1.1
Key Performance Indicators
Insert a series of metrics on how you will measure the success
of your plan. Metrics can be
constructed in many different ways. Some things to consider
however in any metric is: Ease of
Read, Accuracy, Clarity of Terms & Meaning, and Take Aways.
Using a red, green, yellow color
indicator along with a printed percentage and name tag, can
give a lot of information in a small
space. Stay away from the use of approximations unless the
metric is for estimations in general.
Try to use acronyms only if the audience will clearly and
quickly understand them. Consider the
take away effect of the report…when the person sees this, what
12. will they remember when they
walk away?
Example:
Here is a sample of a monthly project update. There is a lot of
information on this one page.
However, in a 10 second time period, the viewer can determine
if the project is on track, where it
is in the schedule, whether the cost plan is on track, and who is
in charge.
IT Strategic Plan – Roadmap Chart
Insert a Roadmap Flow Chart (or some other graphical
representation of your plan) to depict the
schedule for implementing the approved IT systems. This plan
ensures that resources are
available for the projects at the time they are required.
Categorize your plan into 1, 2, and 3 year
strategy.
2Confidential Property of Schneider Electric
Project Gemini
Project Manager:
Richard Morten
Business Transformation Leader:
John Williamson
Project Sponsor:
Ted Kleem
Program:
North America IT
DMT PR Number:
PR-22051
Funded Amount:
13. $13M
bridge SAP conversion of US Legacy
ReSale ,Inventory Management and
Distribution Systems supporting Athens
TX and Mechanicsburg PA HVDCs.
6 Primary functions in scope : CCC,
Distribution, FiCO, Inventory
Management ReSale and Transportation
Project Objective
IT Project Schedule Segment
Go-live Date : Baseline September 1, 2015, Rescheduled to Oct
18th
Location / Functions : Athens, Dolwick, Raleigh – CCC, FICO,
Logistics Resale
Next Milestones:
Solution
Acceptance Sept 21st, CutOver Gate Review Oct 5thS
ta
tu
s
• 92 of 101 ChR developments delivered (81 of 101 Tested and
14. Validated),
• LQT (local qualification testing) Completed (Validated and
Closed 140 TCS), 3 week FIT (final integration testing)
campaign conducted
with 106 Scenarios run, 67% validated
• Completed Purchase Order and Sales Order Dry Run migration
tests
• Trial Conversion /TC3 Data Load completed
• Completed Train The Trainer Training Campaign
• Added Batch Management to Scope for Country of Origin
configuration and testing completed
-Completed Oct Physical inventory plan with FiCO and Athnes
to accommodate the revised Go Live date
A
c
c
o
m
p
lis
h
15. e
d
• Deliver and test remaining change requests– Sep 18th, 5 ChRs
to be delivered 9/14, 4 to be delivered post go live
• Fix and retest remaining 5 open FIT Defects
• Kick Off End User training – Sep 8th
• Complete FIT validation and solution acceptance (Steering
Committee Validation Sept 21st)
• Complete Business Go-Live Readiness Assessment – Site
readiness checklist and domain SIM meetings initiatedN
e
x
t
S
te
p
s
• Development delivery and quality, 114 defects vs 60 ChRs
• Outbound EDI mapping and development incomplete, hybrid
16. architecture and hard coded legacy logic is delaying progress,
• SAP customer data inaccuracies requires unplanned clean up
effort and to reestablish the governance/run process
• Compressed cutover schedule
• QA test environment issues and constraints (Q2C QA isnt
sized
for DC volumes, Cordys QA outages, SAP config transports)
R
is
k
s
• Working with development leads to expedite development
• Global and external experts added to team to confirm
architecture and complete mapping, dedicated GD
development capacity assisted
• Dedicated data correction team assembled, run state
governance process being reestablished in May
17. • Detailed planning and extensive dry run testing where possible
• Know and accepted risk, delays partially mitigated by 2
weeks
of LQT contingency
M
itig
a
tio
n
Reporting Period: 08 2015
Q2
2014
Q3
2014
Q4
2014
20. Example:
Figure 1: Roadmap Chart of IT Projects in support of the
Corporate Strategic Horizon
7
ISM645 Strategic Information Technology Planning v1.1
IT Strategy Execution Plan
How will you communicate the new IT Strategy to the
Company? List the actions you will take
with a brief detail of how you will implement the IT Strategy.
Example:
21. Figure 2: Execution Plan for the IT Strategic Plan
1. Every board member and member of management should get
a copy of the plan.
2. Consider distributing all (or highlights from) the plan to
everyone in the organization. It's
amazing how even the newest staff member gains quick context,
appreciation, and meaning from
review of the strategic plan.
3. Post your mission and vision and values statements on the
walls of your main offices. Consider
giving each employee a card with the statements (or highlights
from them) on the card.
4. Publish portions of your plan in your regular newsletter, and
advertising and marketing
materials (brochures, ads, etc.).
5. Train board members and employees on portions of the plan
during scheduled orientations.
6. Include portions of the plan in policies and procedures,
including the employee manual.
7. Consider copies of the plan for major stakeholders, for
example, funders/investors, trade
associations, potential collaborators, vendors/suppliers, etc.
22. 8
ISM645 Strategic Information Technology Planning v1.1
IT Strategic Plan Summary
In a one to three paragraph summary, describe what it took to
develop and write the IT Strategic
Plan. What information was helpful? What information was
missing or would have been importan
to know?
Signatures:
CIO/IT Manager: Date:
___________________________
_____________________________
CEO/President: Date:
23. ___________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________
ISM645 Information Technology Strategic Plan
TemplateIntroduction: How to Use This Tool[Insert Company
Name] IT Strategic PlanAuthor: [Insert Name]Created on:
[Insert Date]Last Modified on: [Insert Date]Executive
Introduction (Summary) & Thesis StatementStrategic IT
Mission, IT Vision, and Horizon StatementsPurpose of
PlanCorporate StrategyBusiness Initiatives to Support Corporate
StrategyIT Strategic Plan to Support Business InitiativesKey
Performance IndicatorsIT Strategic Plan – Roadmap ChartIT
Strategy Execution PlanIT Strategic Plan Summary
ISM 645 Strategic IT Planning Case Study Company Profile
V 2.2
24. Company Information
MarkO Ltd. is an international cloud services treasury company
headquartered in Costa Mesa,
California with offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, London,
Paris, Amsterdam, Minsk,
Belarus, Tokyo, Beijing, and Dubai. It provides financial
treasury services, via a cloud-based
software solution, that customer’s access via the web, without
requiring hardware or special
software. Customers pay a monthly fee for an instance (copy of
the application) of the product,
which is a representation of their treasury management system,
but hosted by MarkO Ltd. In its
data center, instead of in their own data center. Treasury
management services includes cash and
liquidity management, risk management, hub communication
services to financial clearing
houses (and transfer pricing centers for monetary exchange),
and supply chain/invoicing
services.
The company is comprised of 600 employees and 75 consultants
in various areas of the business
25. (although 80% of them are in information technology).
Although now headquartered in Costa
Mesa, California, the company was first managed out of Lyon,
France for over 12 years. The
company is now 15 years old and is considered to be an old
start-up or what is sometimes called
a Maturing Scale-Up.
The company is led by Jean Pierre Rochard, the CEO. He
reports to a board of directors
comprised of three French directors, four American directors,
one German director, and one
British director. He has eight direct reports that include EVP
Sales, SVP Marketing, SVP Client
Services, CFO, CIO, COO, SVP Channel Sales, and SVP
Distribution. Legal and HR report to
the CFO. Until recently, the information technology (IT)
department reported to Rochard. Two
months ago, Rochard hired a new CIO to run the IT department.
This new CIO must quickly
assess the business, specifically the IT situation, and develop a
Strategic IT Plan for the
company.
26. Financial Considerations of the Business
Annual revenues are 45M€ on a net operational cost of 60M€.
The rise in costs is associated with
the addition of three new product lines that have been in
development for the last two years and
are now about to be delivered. The CEO is considering
capitalization via a venture capital
insertion, which would be a second round of Venture Capital
(VC) funding for the company and
would be projected at 40M€. He also has an option of financing
the next three years using a line
of credit from his bank. He can capitalize much of his
development and R&D work, with hopeful
forecasted sales that will help him break even within the next
three years. Either choice will
allow him to splash his new products and project a positive
margin over the next five years.
Strategic Business Goals
Rochard and the executive team have completed their five-year
plan and have determined their top
business goals are as follows:
27. companies (companies over
3000 users), not just small to medium businesses, with the same
or faster speeds within the
next year
for the next five years while
holding operational costs to a growth of 5% each year.
ntire
company over the next two
years
system to include all financial,
HRMS, Sales, Marketing, Operations, Professional Services,
and Product Management.
disruptive to the
market, with a break-even revenue
goal within 2 years
28. service with a break-even revenue
goal within 3 years
Middle East within 2 years
headquarters, regional and professional
support center in mainland China
interoperable connections and the
ability to integrate new modules quickly and accurately within
the next four years
-boarding new
customers onto the closest
regional data center) into regional areas from the current 3-5
month turn around to several
weeks within the next two years
vendors for MarkO products to
easily integrate within the next two years
29. of the MarkO program and
to the various elements of the MarkO product offerings in the
next year
The Role of the Strategic IT Plan
The Strategic IT Plan is a serious component of the company’s
strategic decision documentation
and overall business plans for Jean Pierre and the Board. It will
help them determine the various
costs for growth of the products and services. It will also give
them a one, two, and three-year
projection of capacity, which will help them determine volume
and price point. Jean Pierre
would also like to have some simple and easy to view key
performance indicators. These should
be recognized values that tells him and the other executives that
the plan is on track and
achieving what it set out to do. These will figure strongly in the
revenue projections for the
company and determine how fast the R&D debt can be washed.
Additionally, larger, more
revenue generating companies have been asking MarkO Ltd for
30. an IT plan to see if the cloud
company can sustain itself and grow its services base through
its technology plans and strategy.
These larger companies want to know if MarkO Ltd. can
continue to sustain its growth in
product and service capability over the next several years. Only
then will they be willing to
hand over their treasury services to them.
The IT Environment
The IT environment is comprised of four traditional co-location
data centers located in Phoenix,
Arizona and Teaneck, New Jersey in the United States; and
Paris, France and Pantin, France in
Western Europe. The company has also contracted with a cloud
services provider, Amazon Web
Services (AWS), a franchisee of Amazon in mainland China.
Each data center (not including the
AWS Center) is comprised of eight racks of equipment
including servers, routers, switches,
mass-storage, and data replication and back-up equipment. All
centers contain an InterNap
solution (the presence of all major carriers coming into one
accessible physical presence).
31. MarkO Ltd. maintains a 300GB network, with internal 10GB to
the desktop. User capability
(access speed) varies based on the customer’s internet speed,
nodal population, and latency
(mostly influenced by the software instance’s point-of-presence
location relative to the
customer’s website).
Company IT Products & Services
The MarkO Ltd. Treasury Management Service (TMS) product
is a pure Software-as-a-Service
(SaaS) play in the cloud. It is a monolithic application, built
upon over the last twelve years. It
uses various versions of Java and Java scripts, including
versions dating back to v1.5 through
v7.1. Although there is a refactoring project that is done in the
background, the primary
development work has always been enhancement to products,
followed by bug or engineering
fixes to the product, followed by refactoring or core code clean
up. Ultimately, the desire is to
32. segment this monolithic application into four product areas:
cash/liquidity, risk management,
invoicing/supply chain, and hub communication. These areas
can be segmented into modular
code instead of existing in one monolithic stack. Additionally,
the code uses the Python protocol
as its communication interface. However, this will change to
Java, one feature set at a time, until
the entire hub communication interface’s Python code is
replaced with Java 7 code.
The Software Operating Environment
The application servers are virtualized using VMWare at a ratio
of @ 18:1. The environment
uses active – passive interfaces between server instance
reflections in the cluster, and between
reflections at a reflection site for disaster recovery (DR)
purposes. Return to Operation (RTO)
time is 4 hours, although most of the larger companies that are
customer candidates would like to
see this reduced to 10 minutes or less, indicating a major shift
to an active – active environment.
The operating system is Linux Red Hat. It is housed on Dell
Blade servers that are currently two
33. years old. There are five server slots open in two racks for each
of the four data centers. Mass
storage is rack-mounted EMC VX 600 virtual drives. There is a
mixture of storage attached
network drives, network attached storage drives, and serial
advanced technology attachment
(SATA) drives. Each center’s local mass storage houses 3TBs of
storage (raw). It also houses
500GB of solid state device storage (SSD) for maintenance
utility, logging, etc.
Data is housed in an Oracle 11G data cluster, virtualized but
segmented from the application
clusters. Currently MarkO Ltd. uses the Standard Edition (SE)
license base, but Oracle’s move to
a different licensing pattern and the shift in its licensing billing
will force MarkO Ltd. to move to
SE2 in 2017. At that time, MarkO Ltd. may need to make a
decision to move to Enterprise
Edition (EE) or stay with SE2. The difference in pricing and
capability still need to be
researched. Along with Oracle 12G, MarkO Ltd. is also
planning a business intelligence
capability, utilizing the database environment as one of the data
34. sources. This may mean a
movement to Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) as a new
application. MarkO Ltd. must conduct
research to see if this is a BI tool for future use and
monetization, or if another product is more
financially and technically feasible. Some other candidates
include Pentaho, Tableau Server,
BizViz, Domo, Birst, and Qlik. The sales and marketing groups
have indicated that a BI solution
could be monetized (functionality sold to customers) in two
years. It is important to determine
what technology opportunities there may be to manage and
leverage the possible Big Data
potential at MarkO Ltd. The IT department has to research,
finance, and plan the implementation
of a solution in the coming year in order to meet that projection.
Internal IT Considerations
Internal IT has recently been moved from the finance
department to the central IT department.
The Internal IT Group responsibilities include the service and
provisioning of laptops, cell
phones, and technology peripherals including office automation
solutions, network solutions,
35. monitoring of wiring closets, WAPs, and facility-based
infrastructure. IT has a staff of 12 people
posted in its international offices to service company personnel.
95% of the company’s personal
computing is done on laptops. The company has not
implemented Bring Your Own Device
(BYOD) as of yet but will have to plan this for the future. The
sales force is currently pressing
the IT department for another alternative to laptops for its
highly mobile sales force. Currently,
the office automation software is Google Apps, with an Outlook
translator for those that want an
Outlook experience on the desktop. These were appropriate apps
when the company consisted of
25 people, but lately, the company executive committee has
questioned whether a strong suite
should be introduced. Recently, Microsoft Office 365 was
introduced to the company. However,
even today, there are applications running in Google Apps on
the Google (Docs) Drive. There is
currently no plan for rolling over these apps to a standard
platform.
36. Business Applications
Additional business apps exist in the areas of enterprise
resource programs (ERP), human
resource management systems (HRMS), and sales automation
and customer resource
management systems (SA-CRM). The ERP for MarkO Ltd. is
OpenERP. However, this was
chosen nine years ago when the company was small and there
may be a need to go to a more
robust ERP system. It is a cloud-based system, but the company
must consider whether it should
go private cloud, instead of public cloud or inside the
company’s data center (an internally
installed, or In-Premise, solution). The HRMS system is
Bamboo. However, the HR department
has taken on the job of selecting and implementing nine
additional HR solutions to supplement
Bamboo. These include everything from travel reservations,
expense reporting, personnel
management, evaluation systems, recognition systems,
budgeting and headcount management
systems, and benefits systems. There has been no
implementation of single sign-on (SSO) or of
37. extended active directory services.
The sales and marketing forces have taken it upon themselves to
select Salesforce.com as a sales
automation provider and as a CRM provider. Both groups have
separate instances of
Salesforce.com with a series of custom HTML5 and Force.com
applications already written for
their instances. At this time, there is no connection from
Salesforce.com to the ERP system, nor
is there a formal CRM ticketing system in place. Customer
service is handled by an outsourced
service manager (ServiceNow), which is a cloud-based customer
service provider. Visibility into
ServiceNow is somewhat limited, due to a lack of integration
into MarkO Ltd. systems, not
because of ServiceNow’s API’s, which have been provided to
MarkO Ltd.
Software Engineering
MarkO Ltd. writes its own software in Java. It has two
development centers: Lyon, France and
Minsk, Belarus (Russia). However, one of the centers is agile
38. methodology driven (Lyon) and
the other (Minsk) is Waterfall or SDLC oriented. The IT team is
segmented into three major
groups:
developers and testers in both
Minsk, Belarus and Lyon, France. There is a total of 82 people
(45 in Minsk and 37 in
Lyon). Each product engineering team is led by a technical team
leader. Each team is
comprised of several software engineers, quality assurance (QA)
testers, test automation
programmers, and Scrum Masters (Scrum is the Agile
methodology currently employed).
The cost of software development production in Minsk is
approximately 76% of that in
Lyon, with a majority of the cost being actual salaried labor.
MarkO Ltd. hires few
contractors and has a policy that a contractor that is projected to
be in place for more than
one year is converted (or the role is converted) to a full time
equivalent (FTE).
39. owners for each of the four
products, and business analysts in each of the product silos.
There are four product
owners with four business analysts apiece. Currently, there is a
VP over both of these
groups as well as a product architect, who was also a co-founder
of the company. Both of
these VPs report to the CIO.
eight system administrators,
one DBA, one systems architect, three network analysts, and a
technical architect.
The Mission!
You are the new CIO faced with this environment. The CEO and
the board are looking to you
and your Strategic IT Plan to solve some of the immediate
issues as well as position the company
for long term growth and scalability. You have some clean-up to
do in many places, but there is a
40. severe thirst for new functionality and features in the product.
Both Sales and Marketing are
complaining that the software development is too slow and that
new features are not being
implemented soon enough. There is a product steering
committee that meets once a quarter, but
records indicate that decisions made by this committee are often
altered after the decisions have
been made by the committee, vetoed by the CEO, or ignored by
the sales staff. You, as well as
the CEO, are hoping that your Strategic IT Plan will get a grip
on this environment and control
some of the things holding the company back from its potential.
You have six weeks to produce
this plan in whatever format you chose, keeping in mind the
segments that must be addressed and
the content of your company’s internal and product/service
systems.
5/26/2020 EBSCOhost
web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-
42. Information Systems Management. Spring2009, Vol. 26 Issue 2,
p138-
152. 15p. 1 Black and White Photograph, 14 Diagrams, 2
Charts, 2
Graphs.
Article
*Business logistics
*Standards
*Information technology management
*Business planning
*Information & communication technologies
*Strategic planning
*Information resources management
*Organizational learning
Information technology equipment
Cyberinfrastructure
IT-Business alignment
maturity model
541614 Process, Physical Distribution, and Logistics Consulting
Services
519190 All Other Information Services
43. The challenge of aligning Information Technology (IT) to
business has
often been cited as a key issue by IT executives. This paper
presents a
simple, flexible, and easy-to-use instrument that measures the
alignment maturity between business and IT and identifies
major gaps.
The proposed instrument is based on Luftman's "Strategy
Alignment
Maturity Model" (SAMM); it directly encodes all attributes of
SAMM
alignment areas using a unidimensional framework. The
instrument
supports multiple levels of analysis with minimum assumptions
about
data using non-parametric statistical tools. In addition, the
instrument
provides an aggregation procedure to summarize the alignment
maturity
level for high-level executives. The instrument can also be
customized
to incorporate the contextual parameters of a company. In
addition to
the development of the instrument, this paper also shows how
44. this
instrument was applied to assess the alignment maturity level
between
IT and business in a rapidly growing company that had recently
been
publicly listed. The instrument was successful in identifying six
major
gaps for the company across the various alignment areas. These
gaps
were benchmarking, business metrics, strategic business
planning, inter
/ intra organizational learning, architectural integration, and the
impact of
IT on business processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
1
1
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Author Affiliations:
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46. to all Abstracts.)
American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE
1058-0530
10.1080/10580530902797524
37604193
Business Source Elite
A Simple Instrument to Measure IT-Business Alignment
Maturity.
The challenge of aligning Information Technology (IT) to
business has often been cited as a key issue by IT
executives. This paper presents a simple, flexible, and easy-to-
use instrument that measures the alignment
maturity between business and IT and identifies major gaps. The
proposed instrument is based on Luftman's
"Strategy Alignment Maturity Model" (SAMM); it directly
encodes all attributes of SAMM alignment areas using
a unidimensional framework. The instrument supports multiple
levels of analysis with minimum assumptions
47. about data using non-parametric statistical tools. In addition,
the instrument provides an aggregation procedure
to summarize the alignment maturity level for high-level
executives. The instrument can also be customized to
incorporate the contextual parameters of a company. In addition
to the development of the instrument, this
paper also shows how this instrument was applied to assess the
alignment maturity level between IT and
business in a rapidly growing company that had recently been
publicly listed. The instrument was successful in
identifying six major gaps for the company across the various
alignment areas. These gaps were
benchmarking, business metrics, strategic business planning,
inter / intra organizational learning, architectural
integration, and the impact of IT on business processes.
Keywords: IT-Business alignment; maturity model
1. Introduction
Alignment between business and IT has often been cited as a
key issue and a challenge by IT executives
([15]; [21]). The need for such an alignment has long been
recognized ([ 3]; [ 5]; [10]; [14]; [20]). There is also
emergent evidence that IT and business alignment do have an
impact on organizational performance ([ 4];
48. [22]; [21]). While the concept of alignment has many
definitions such as integration, linkage, harmony, bridge
or fusion ([ 1]), one of the most commonly used models for IT-
business alignment is the Strategic Alignment
Model (SAM) ([10]).
However, alignment models have been criticized by not being
applicable in many cases where the business is
not following a systematic strategic planning process, if the
strategy is being developed on the fly, or if the
Chief Executive Officer CEO and the Chief Information Officer
CIO are developing the strategy together
(Shpliberg et al., 2007). Nevertheless, the same study also
showed that almost three quarters of the 504
respondents from 452 companies believed that their IT
capability was neither highly aligned nor effective ([20]).
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One key issue in IT and organizational alignment is how to
"measure" alignment. [12]) points out that matching
and moderation are two ways to measure alignment. Matching
tries to match aspects of IT strategy with
components of business strategy. The moderation view, on the
other hand, views pairs of business and IT
strategy and their impact on business performance ([ 3]).
Several studies have tried to measure alignment. [ 1])
modified the SAM model to provide a step-by-step process that
can be used to assess organizational
alignment based on executive feedback. Specifically, their
approach tries to identify various patterns and
perspectives (e.g., technology potential) to provide feedback for
executive management decision making.
Similarly, [ 9]) applied modeling of the business and IT
strategies for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
and mapping the gaps from one to the other. [ 2]) identified 29
items to measure IT strategy and structure itself.
[11]) used nine items (e.g., quality service) for measuring
business strategy and nine parallel items to measure
IT strategy. A mean alignment score was calculated by
multiplying the business strategy rating with the
50. corresponding IT strategy rating. [13]) developed an instrument
to match an IT plan with the Business Plan.
[18] compared measures of social dimensions of alignment such
as matching of current objectives or vision.
[23]) proposed using cognitive measures of alignment. [ 8])
used a survey instrument based on Luftman's
Strategy Alignment Maturity Model (SAMM) ([16]) to measure
the maturity levels of strategic alignment along
multiple key dimensions such as communications, governance,
skills, etc. A key component of this instrument
is that it divides the questions into strategic, tactical, and
operational levels.
This paper presents a simple instrument to measure the
alignment maturity based on [16] SAMM model.
However, unlike [ 8]), our instrument directly encodes the
various components of the SAMM using a
unidimensional approach and uses non-parametric statistical
methods for analysis. We have also developed
an aggregation procedure that summarizes the overall maturity
of each of the areas of SAMM. We applied this
instrument to measure and analyze the IT-Business alignment
maturity of a rapidly growing construction-
related company (DUG).
51. The rest of the paper is organized as follows. Section 2 presents
the Strategic Alignment Maturity Model
(SAMM). Section 3 presents the design of the instrument.
Section 4 presents a case study of applying the
instrument to DUG, and section 5 concludes the paper and
discusses the limitations and future work.
2. Strategic Alignment Maturity Model
[16]) proposed SAMM as one way to measure alignment
maturity of companies. SAMM proposes that IT-
Business alignment can be captured according to six areas of
maturity:
• _B_Communication maturity to ensure the ongoing knowledge
sharing across the organization and the
understanding of business by IT and vice versa;
• _B_Competency / Value measurement maturity to demonstrate
the value IT is contributing to the business;
• _B_Governance maturity to ensure that the appropriate
participants of business and IT are reviewing the
priorities and allocation of IT resources;
• _B_Partnership maturity to reflect the level of trust developed
52. among participants of IT and business in
sharing risk and rewards;
• _B_Scope and architecture maturity to signify the level of
flexibility and transparency the IT is providing to
business; and
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• _B_Skills maturity to reflect the level of innovation, change
readiness, hiring and retaining, and how they
are contributing to the overall organizational effectiveness.
For each of these areas, this maturity model classifies the
alignment between business and IT into five levels:
1. _B_Initial / Ad hoc process, where business and IT are not
harmonized or aligned;
53. 2. _B_Committed process, where the organization has
committed to becoming aligned with IT;
3. _B_Established / Focused process, where the alignment is
established between IT and business and
focused on business objectives;
4. _B_Improved / Managed process, where the concept of IT as
a "Value Center" is reinforced; and
5. _B_Optimized process, where the strategic planning of
business and IT is integrated and reached a co-
adaptive stage.
In addition, SAMM describes the various attributes that
contribute to each of the six areas. For example, the six
attributes that contribute to the "Communication" area are: ( 1)
understanding of business by IT, ( 2)
understanding of IT by business, ( 3) inter / intra organizational
learning, ( 4) protocol rigidity, ( 5) knowledge
sharing, and ( 6) liaison breadth / effectiveness. Collectively,
the six areas have thirty-eight attributes defined.
For example, the "Competency / value measurement" and
"Governance" areas have seven attributes each.
54. For each attribute, SAMM defines the characteristics at various
levels of maturity. For example, the attribute
"Understanding of Business by IT" is "Minimum" at Initial( 1)
level of maturity, "Limited IT Awareness" at
Committed( 2) level, "By Senior and Mid Management" at
Established( 3) level, "Pushed Down Through the
Organization" at Managed( 4) level, and "Pervasive" at the
Optimized( 5) level ([16]).
The primary objective of this research is to build a simple,
flexible, and easy-to-use instrument to determine the
level of alignment between IT and business. The secondary
objective is to determine if the outcome yields
interesting insights into alternative remedial strategies for
better alignment.
3. Designing the Survey Instrument
The primary design criteria for the survey instrument were
simplicity, flexibility, transparency of mapping to
SAMM, and ease of deployment and analysis. In addition, we
wanted the instrument to provide a high-level
view of alignment maturity for the upper level management.
SAMM consists of six primary alignment areas. Each area has
55. multiple attributes. The maturity level for each
area is clearly defined ([16]). For example, Table 1 shows the
maturity levels of each attribute of the "Skills"
area.
Table 1. The Maturity of Attributes for the "Skills" Area in
SAMM
AttributesAlignment
Maturity Level
Initial (1) Committed (2) Established
(3)
Improved (4) Optimized (5)
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56. AttributesAlignment
Maturity Level
Initial (1) Committed (2) Established
(3)
Improved (4) Optimized (5)
A1 Innovation,
Entrepreneurship
DiscouragedDependant on
Functional
Organization
Risk Tolerant Enterprise;
Partners; & IT
Managers
The Norm
A2 Cultural Locus of
Power
In the
59. A5 Career
Crossover
None Minimum Dependant on
Functional
Organization
Across the
Functional
Organization
Across the Enterprise
A6 Education, Cross
Training
None Minimum Dependant on
Functional
Organization
At the Functional
Organization
Across the Enterprise
60. A7 Social, Political,
Trusting
Interpersonal Minimum Primarily
Transactional
Environment
Emerging Among IT
& Business
Achieved Among
IT & Business
Extended to External
Customers &
Partners
Environment Minimum Primarily
Transactional
Environment
Emerging Valued
Service Provider
61. Valued Service
Provider
Valued Partnership
A8 Hiring and
Retaining Best
Talent
No Program Technology
Focused
Tech./Business
Focus; Retention
Program
Formal Program
for Hiring &
Retaining
Effective Program for
Hiring & Retaining
For example, as Table 1 shows, the maturity of the "Innovation
and Entrepreneurship" attribute ranges all the
62. way from "Discouraged" at the Initial( 1) level to "Norm" at the
Optimized( 5) level. Similarly, the value of
"Career Crossover" attribute ranges from "None" at the Initial(
1) level to "Across the Enterprise" at the
Optimized( 5) level.
We used a unidimensional framework to construct questions for
the survey; one question was developed for
each attribute of each area for thirty-seven questions for the 38
attributes; two attributes were merged into one
question. Table 2 shows the various questions developed for the
"Skills" area as shown in Table 1. As Table 2
shows, we developed one question for each attribute. For
example, in order to measure the maturity level of
the "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" attribute, the respondent
is asked about what they would do if they
came up with an innovative idea. The question allows them to
select one of five possible options, where each
option corresponds to a maturity level for that particular
attribute. For example, selecting the option of 'entering
innovative ideas into a system to be shared' would correspond to
a maturity level of Improved ( 4). The two
attributes of "Career Crossover" and "Education Cross Training"
were encoded into one question that reads 'In
our company, staff has the flexibility to change their career path
63. and get the needed training''
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Table 2. Uni-Dimensional Questions for each Attribute of
"Skills" Area in SAMM
AttributeQuestion Sample Respondent
Group
A1 When you come up with innovative ideas that you believe
may enhance the business
1. I don't share such ideas with anyone
2. I share them, but they get evaluated in a conservative manner
3. I share them if they don't imply any risk to the current
business
4. I enter them into a system where everybody can comment on
them
64. 5. I convey them hoping that the management will adopt them
like they did for other
staff
IT Management
Staff
IT Staff
A2 The power / influence in our company is
1. In the hands of business executives at head office
2. Extended to the managers of subsidiaries / sites
3. Extended to lower management (commercial manager, site
manager, design
manager, etc)
4. Dependant on the personality of staff
5. Extended to all staff including IT
IT Management
IT Staff
A3 My manager cares most about
1. Executing his / her instructions
2. Results
3. Consensus among our team
4. Profit / value creation
65. 5. Maintaining our relationships internally and externally
IT Management
IT Staff
A4 How easy is it to do your daily tasks in a new way if you get
the proper training?
1. Very difficult
2. Difficult
3. Neutral
4. Easy
5. Very easy
IT Management
Staff
IT Staff
A5,6 In our company, staff has the flexibility to change their
career path and get the needed
training
1. Never
2. Yes, To a certain level
3. It varies among sites / subsidiaries
4. Yes, within the same site / subsidiary
5. Yes, across sites / subsidiaries
66. IT Management
IT Staff
A7 Trust in our company
1. Varies from one staff to another
2. Varies from one situation to another
3. Is being established among sites / subsidiaries
4. Is everywhere among all staff across sites and subsidiaries
5. Is extended to subcontractors and suppliers
IT Management
IT Staff
A8 Hiring and retaining talented people in our company
1. Does not follow a predefined program
2. Is done according to their skills neglecting the position
requirements
3. Is done according to the position requirements
4. Has defined program of hiring and retention
5. Is following an effective program
Dropped
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Since SAMM categorizes maturity into five distinct levels, we
decided to use a 1 to 5 Likert scale to measure
the response to each question. The responses are considered
discrete and mutually exclusive. Consequently,
each response to a question is represented by an ordinal number.
Since the equidistance assumption does not
hold for such Likert scale values, rather than using mean and
standard deviation, we decided to use the central
tendency given by the median and the dispersion as measured by
inter-quartile range or non-parametric
statistics such as 1-Sample Sign Test as the primary analysis
instrument for each question ([ 6]).
We also wanted the instrument to be able to incorporate
divergent views of the various roles being played by
respondents in an organization. The instrument classifies
organizational roles in accordance with SAM model.
68. As Figure 1 shows, from an alignment perspective, SAM divides
organizational roles into four different areas;
business strategy, IT strategy, organizational infrastructure and
processes (business operations), and IT
infrastructure and processes (IT operations) (
Graph: Figure 1. Roles for IT-business alignment.
[10]).
Accordingly, the instrument explicitly addresses four different
groups. Business management group is the most
appropriate to address business strategy issues. IT management
group, on the other hand, can best address
IT strategy issues. Business staff group is most familiar with
business operations. Finally, IT staff group is the
most competent in addressing IT operational issues.
Table 2 shows an example of how the instrument incorporates
divergent views for a particular company. As
Table 2 shows, for this company it may not be appropriate to
ask upper management about the power locus
(A2 in Table 2). However, an answer to these questions from IT
Management and IT Staff may be informative.
In addition, since multiple attributes are used to measure a
69. particular alignment area (like "Skills," for example),
the instrument allows the flexibility of dropping some questions
altogether. For example, A8 attribute in Table 2
has been dropped to account for political realities.
Another key objective of the survey design was to provide a
high-level aggregated summary of IT and business
alignment to upper management. To achieve this, we developed
an aggregation procedure for calculating an
overall "maturity level" for each area depending on the maturity
ratings from each of the attributes. For
example, from the responses for the eight attributes in the
governance alignment area, we want to derive an
ordinal number from 1 to 5 to indicate the overall maturity level
of governance as a whole. In addition, following
Luftman, we want to identify maturity levels that are between
the ordinal numbers. For example, 1+ to indicate
that the maturity level is between levels 1 and 2 but is nearer to
level 1. The aggregation procedure also needs
to consider the following constraints:
1. The number of respondents for each attribute might be
different.
2. The median and confidence intervals of the median for each
70. attribute may be different.
3. The median might not be an ordinal number that corresponds
exactly to an alignment level.
The aggregation procedure is a heuristic that looks at the
relationship between the overall modes of each
alignment area against the central tendency of each attribute
given by its median. If most of the medians are
less than the mode, then the alignment maturity level is
considered(mode-). On the other hand, if most of the
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medians are more than the mode, then the maturity level is
counted as (mode+). The overall procedure for
applying this heuristic is described below.
71. Assume that a maturity area A (e.g., Communications) is
measured through questions q ,.. q corresponding
to attributes a ,.. a . Note that the number of responses for each
question will be different because not all
respondents may answer all the questions.
1. Based on respective responses, calculate and truncate the
median for responses (Likert scale 1 to 5) to
each question q
2. Calculate the overall mode of truncated medians across all
questions {q }.
3. If there is a single mode then:
a. If values of all truncated medians for each question (q ,.. q )
are equal to the mode from Step 2, the
alignment maturity level of the concerned area is "mode."
b. If not, then calculate α, the number of truncated medians
greater than the mode, and β; the number of
truncated medians smaller than the mode.
i. If α > β, the alignment maturity level of the concerned area is
"mode+"
72. ii. If α < β, the alignment maturity level of the concerned area is
"mode-"
iii. If α = β, then the alignment maturity level of the concerned
area is "mode."
4. If there are more than one mode, the alignment maturity level
of the concerned area is the "lowest
mode+".
The next section describes an application of the survey
instrument in the context of a fast growing
construction-related company.
4. Validation
In order to validate the instrument, we selected a company
where one would expect IT and business
misalignment caused by organic and acquisition-based rapid
growth; the company grew five times its size in
three years. DEF United Group (DUG) is one of the top three
interiors specialty contractors in the world. DUG's
primary business can be divided into two main sectors;
manufacturing, where the company produces interior
fittings, joinery, upholstery, etc. and contracting, where the
73. company executes contracts of fit-out,
refurbishment, furniture and fixtures. The company employs
over 8,000 individuals representing over 30
nationalities and has more than 21 branches / subsidiaries
(business units) around the world. DUG was
recently listed on multiple stock exchanges. The organizational
structure of DUG is heavily project-centric.
Every branch (organic growth) / subsidiary (acquired company)
has multiple projects, and each project is an
autonomous unit including many departments. Due to the
project-centric culture, each project follows its own
governance mechanisms within overall corporate governance
guidelines.
i 0 m
0 m
i.
i
0 m
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The IT department of DUG supports the entire group including
all sites and subsidiaries around the world. The
IT department is centralized and reports to Strategy Managing
Director. Until 2005, the IT department was
composed of four people. The primary activities of the IT
department in 2005 were a rudimentary help desk
function and technical support of a simple IT infrastructure. In
January 2007, a new IT Director was hired to
head the IT department. The new IT Director found that basic IT
needs of the company were not being fulfilled;
the massive growth in business had apparently happened with
little consideration of IT. As of December, 2008,
the IT department had grown to 42 individuals.
Subsequent paragraphs will explain the methodology we
followed to apply this survey instrument, data
collection, data analysis, and detailed discussion of findings.
75. 4.1 Methodology
The methodology followed in applying the survey instrument to
DUG adheres to the guidelines recommended
by [25]) as described below.
Each generic question used in the survey was modified to
minimize subjective judgment or interpretation of the
question. In addition, some questions were rephrased while
addressing them to different groups. As the
instrument postulates, we also solicited feedback from various
stakeholders in the organization. The IT Director
(IT Management group) indicated that the generic questions
were not adequately tailored to the context of the
company. For example, an option in the question about
"Cultural Locus of Power" in the "Skills" area that reads
'Emerging across the Enterprise' was changed to 'Extended to
lower management (commercial manager, site
manager, design manager, etc.)'' A first-line manager (Business
Operations group) also provided constructive
feedback about number of questions. The feedback from one
General Manager (GM) (Business Management
group) was generally negative. Her view reflected the maturity
level of DUG and the perception of IT by the
management in DUG. For example, this particular GM did not
76. understand why questions related to strategy,
governance, value measurement, and skills were relevant to IT.
Based on collective feedback from various
stakeholders, several questions were rephrased (5 questions),
paraphrased (3 questions), dropped (1
question), and were addressed to different groups (6 questions).
It should be noted that this was an iterative
process that eventually resulted in a survey that was consistent
with the views of all stakeholders. The final
revised survey was shown to the IT Director again to ensure its
validity and suitability for DUG.
The survey was made completely anonymous by hosting it on a
third party survey engine. One survey for each
of the four groups of Management, Staff, IT management, and
IT staff was created and the questions were
shuffled within each survey so that questions about the same
alignment area do not fall next to each other. A
"Test Collector" (test link) was created for each survey initially,
and all the four links were tested before rolling
them out to DUG employees, and then additional 23 different
collectors were created for a staff survey to
determine their site / subsidiary. Four different collectors for
management were created. Another link was
created for IT Management and another one for IT staff. After
77. collecting the responses and analyzing the
results, a qualitative analysis was conducted with the IT
Director through a set of post-survey interviews.
Construct validity of the survey was established by using the
unidimensional framework and by incorporating
feedback from various key informants such as the IT Director.
Addressing the same questions to multiple
groups like staff, IT Management, and / or Management can also
be considered as multiple sources of
evidence.
The internal validity was achieved through two mechanisms; the
use of the well-known strategic alignment
maturity model (SAMM) and the multiple reviews that were
done to make sure that survey questions did not
contain any internal contradictions.
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Since this case study was carried out in a single company, the
results are not intended to be generalized ([25]).
However, from an external validity perspective, the logic
underlying this study can be replicated at another
company.
Finally, three mechanisms were used to address reliability; the
use of well-defined and documented protocol,
developing a case study database, and crosschecking the final …